And the Golden Link goes to…
June 19th, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 1 Comment

I’m incredibly honored to announce that InternetGeekGirl was selected as a finalist for a LinkShare Golden Link in 2008 for the category of Performance Marketing’s Most Vocal Advocate. My fellow finalists, Revenue Magazine and Scott Jangro, surely deserve to win this one. I think it should be a tie between those guys.  While I’m definitively *vocal* and I’ve been in the space for 10 years, my evangelistic efforts pale in comparison to the likes of Lisa Picarille and Scott Jangro. I feel pretty darn lucky to be listed among such distinguished nominees. Kellie Stevens of AffiliateFairPlay (last year’s recipient), will be passing on the crown! I thank LinkShare for selecting me and look forward to another great Symposium.

I would like to point out that I have spent a lot of time over the last few years talking about the impact social media and web2.0 is having on affiliate marketing. I work to evolve new strategies and share the power of performance marketing with other communities online that lack understanding about this monetization strategy. More and more people are starting to listen and do something about it. Affiliate Summit is hosting an entire event dedicated to the topic in October!  I hope the leading companies in performance marketing pay better attention. The networks can no longer sit idly by while the online marketing landscape shifts to a more technologically advanced, flexible, user-generated, socially connected infrastructure. Times are changing my friends, it’s best to change with them.

The Affiliate Karma team looks forward to seeing all of you at the Pre-Party to the Golden Links next Monday night at the Monkey Bar at 5:30 in NYC

Internet Week 2008 in New York City: In five words, the start of something grand.
June 19th, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 3 Comments

During the Webby Awards last week, each winner got exactly 5 words for their acceptance speech. At the time I twittered that the whole thing was very Twitteresque.  I’m going to keep my wrap up post brief as well (since it’s already late).  All these parties have a way of messing with one’s action item list.  Overall, it was an excellent week. Kudos to the Internet Week team and the IADAS (International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences). Given how spread out the events were, it would have been nice to see a more cohesive social media strategy.  The site (and the event overall) needed a “community manager” (in addition to the PR company they had running the show).  It also would have been nice to see more coverage by main stream media.  For a first go-round though, I think they did a good job.  I see a lot of potential with this event.

Check out the following reviews of Internet Week for more details:

Caroline McCarthy of CNET summed it up in three words instead of five: Let it Blend!

PC Magazine also captured some of the best 5-word summaries that winner shared with the audience at the Webbies!

Adam Hirsch of Mashable did a nice recap and thank you post too.

Undoubtedly, one of my favorite parts of the week: The Webby Awards Film & Video After Party 2008: Digital Photobooth presented by Adobe.

But of course, my *true* favorite was the TechSet event at the Gansevoort! Thanks to all who participated. The TechSet *Hearts* New York!

New York Tech knows how to glam it up. Watch out Fashion Week, here come the real L337!

Pictured above (Top to Bottom):Pic 1: Stephanie Agresta, Pete Cashmore (Mashable), Michelle DeForest (NextNewNetworks)

Pic 2:George H. Ruiz (ICM), Alex Albrecht (Revision3)

Pic 3: John Hamilton and Kevin Chan - both from Barbarian Group; with the fabulous Aubrey Sabala (Digg) in the middle.

InternetGeekGirl’s Top 5 “Must-Do” Events for Internet Week NYC
June 2nd, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 6 Comments

Internet Week New York (IWNY) starts tomorrow. Since I can’t go to everything, I wanted to highlight my “Top 5 Picks” of the week.

Live from New York, it’s Diggnation!  Hop the L train out to Brooklyn on Wednesday night at 6 pm and join Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht for a live taping in front of a New York Audience.  All the cool kids will be there.  Plus in addition to Kevin and Alex, the Revision3 folks got Brian Brushwood, host of the smash hit Scam School to shock and amaze the crowd with his dazzling array of bar tricks - can you stand the heat? DJ Bears and Bears Repeating will be performing as well for all you music fans. Rock on!

Pete’s back in NYC, time to get caffeinated! Join Pete Cashmore and his rockin’ band of Mashable staffers at Touch on Friday evening at 6 pm for the Mashable Exihibit Hall Extravaganza.   Over 14 showcasing exhibitors, and a large mix of attendees including local New York startups and entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, Web 2.0 companies and old-skool New York institutions will be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world!

The TechSet does Manhattan!  Join me and Brian Solis as we celebrate the people who are actively defining the new Web landscape and contributing to the lucrative and industry-defining social economy along the way. We’ll be hanging on the rooftop of the Hotel Gansevoort (ooh la la) on Saturday afternoon beginning at 4:30 pm.  Please RSVP on our Facebook event page!

Old media meets the Social Web. Federated Media’s Conversational Marketing Summit will have some of the biggest names from Madison Avenue to Silicon Valley in attendance.  There are still tickets left for the conference which is June 9th and 10th. You can use the code GeekGirl15 and save 15% on registration!

If your tux is at the dry cleaners and you can’t fit in a Webby Award gathering, I’d suggest you check out the New York Software Industry Association (NYSIA) party on Monday night from 6 - 8 pm at JPMorgan Chase (270 Park Avenue).  The top technologists, developers, web 2.0 practitioners, and people from the professions that support them will be there. This event features an open bar, and Hors d’ Oeuvres will be served. $20 in advance, $30 at the door. Event starts at 6pm sharp.

The fact is I probably will party hop and also hit a few impromptu TweetUps as well so follow my Twitter.

Let’s get this party started!

The TechSet Presents: Internet Week NYC
May 31st, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 7 Comments

The TechSet does Manhattan! We started in LA, hit Silicon Valley and San Fran, and now we are in the Big Apple during Internet Week!

Internet Week is spotlighting the influential and expanding Web community in New York and The TechSet is all set to contribute. Join me and Brian Solis, bub.blicio.us and PR 2.0, as together, we celebrate The TechSet, the people who are actively defining the new Web landscape and contributing to the lucrative and industry-defining social economy along the way.

The TechSet is everywhere, online and offline. The TechSet is you.

On Saturday afternoon, we’re going to bring the rooftop parties from the West Coast to the Right Coast while bringing together NY-based entrepreneurs and those in town for Internet Week. Special guests from the blogosphere as well as VCs, developers, and founders will take over the rooftop of the stylish Hotel Gansevoort in the chic part of NY made popular by the Sex and the City franchise – well, we’ll take over what we can!

Who said techies can’t be glamorous too!

But wait, there’s more. Co-authors Geoff Livingston and Brian Solis will also be signing copies of Now is Gone. Bring your book if you have it, otherwise books will be available for $10 on-site. (whoops.. that’s $15 sorry, cmon.. support a blogga!)

See you chic peeps next Saturday at the ROOFTOP bar (Plunge)! 

RSVP on the Facebook Event Page, grazie.

Join Federated Media at the Ritz Carlton on June 9 - 10
May 31st, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | Add a Comment

As you can see, I’ve got my Internet Week mojo on. The week is chock-full of parties and yes, I will be attending a bunch of those. Stay tuned for my “must-do” list of Internet Week social events. Again, the full list of events is here. I’ll also be posting my flickr shots and providing Twitter coverage throughout the week, so please follow.

I think it is really important to recognize that there are many substantive gatherings planned, in addition to the networking events and parties. Internet Week is shaping up as an opportunity for “old media” New York to come face-to-face with the movers and shakers that are driving the evolution of the social media economy. Brand managers and media planners will get to meet with the start-ups and social media”rock stars” that are pushing the envelope of online marketing. I think this connection is critical. The geeks are coming to NYC and as Hugh MacLeod reminds us, it’s important for all marketers to “think geek.”  According to Hugh:

“Whatever industry you are in, there’s somebody who is geeked out about your product category. They are using your product [or a competitor's product] as a Social Object.”

Big brands can tap into this energy.  This is the focus of the Conversational Marketing Summit, sponsored by Federated Media (FM), which I’m really looking forward to btw. FYI - it’s not too late to secure access to the conference being held at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park on June 9th and 10th. FM has kindly provided InternetGeekGirl readers with a special discount code: Sign up with GeekGirl15 and save 15% on registration.

I really love the Federated Family of sites (including gapingvoid). Such great content backed by really smart, effective people. The event has quite a round-up of speakers, including: John Battelle, Chairman & CEO, Federated Media, Henry M. Blodget, CEO, Silicon Alley Media, Wenda Harris Millard, President, Media, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia & Chairman IAB, Steve Rubel, Senior Vice President, Director of Insights, Edelman Digital, Jason Kilar, CEO, Hulu, Martin A. Nisenholtz, SVP – Digital Operations, The New York Times Company and many more.

I look forward to seeing you in the Big Apple…big brands and small brands alike.

The first ever Internet Week launches in NYC, June 3rd
May 30th, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | Add a Comment

Internet Week New York (IWNY) starts next Tuesday, June 3rd in New York City. Not nearly the size or stature of its inspiration, Fashion Week, Internet Week will undoubtedly grow quick given the level of moxie and motivation of the NYC tech crowd.

For those of you that don’t know (and I expect that is a lot of you, since the press coverage of this event has been anemic so far), Internet Week is a week-long festival of events celebrating New York’s thriving Internet industry and community.  Started by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) in cooperation with the City of New York and the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting, it’s billed as a celebration of digital media industry and community. There are great people backing this venture.  You can get the  quick facts here and check out the Executive Council list here.

I live and breathe the digital media industry and community (in New York, in California and beyond). As a active member of the NYC tech world for the last 10 years, I have experienced that growth through my own professional and personal journey.  Of course, in New York the “community” aspect gets lost a bit, due to the general size of the pond and all the other industries that call NYC their nerve center. When you’re in the Valley, you can’t walk 10 feet without hearing about the latest tech news or start-up. The community is everywhere.  Both environments have their pros and cons.

The New York tech crowd is known for its passion, marketing savvy, business acumen and access to Madison Avenue and Wall Street (both of which fuel the technology industry overall). I know that this inaugural event will catch fire in NYC and most likely take off in other cities.  I’m here to support making that happen.

Now, I’m not saying we’ll be Fashion Week overnight (or ever). I think Fashion Week, I think of hot models, catwalks, non-stop parties, sexy people hanging out at the Gansevoort pool and Devil Wears Prada-esque drama everywhere (oh yes, and cloths).  Let’s face it people, we are not that cool. We don’t even have a wikipedia page — yet. Now that’s kind of ironic, huh?

But there is a jam-packed schedule of events for Internet Week NYC. And each will be filled with exciting, cool, smart, successful geeks helping to evolve the next wave of Internet marketing. That is our community. Stay tuned for some additional posts highlighting the events and parties I will be attending. Plus SAVE the date, because, the TechSet is presenting in Manhattan! Brian Solis and Geoff Livingston co-authors of the new book Now is Gone, will be in town for a book signing. And Brian and I will be hosting TechSet NYC , gathering our east coast friends who are all actively contributing to the evolution of the social economy and new web.  

According to Amanda Fortini in the Brief History of the Fashion show, Fashion Week got its start in NYC in 1943, and then took on it’s current form in 1993 (fifteen years ago!) Let’s take a moment to imagine what this event could look like 15 years from now. In fact, I can imagine it being a much larger deal in even within 3 - 5 years. I’m so grateful for all the tech communities I get to hang out with across this country. Big shout out to my peeps in: LA, Philly, Chicago, Boston and so many other cities I can’t even list them all. I feel an idea in the works.

Ted Murphy Loves Geeks
May 21st, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 2 Comments

During my visit to Orlando, Florida last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ted Murphy at Izea headquarters. As Ted’s shirt insinuates, he likes “creating chaos.” His business ventures have a tendency to do just that. PayPerPost caused quite a stir in the last year, and his new company is getting loads of attention - for different reasons.

SocialSpark is Izea’s newest attempt at creating a marketplace between bloggers and advertisers. This time around, Ted has gotten it “right” (according to many - including Jason Calacanis) with policies that include: 100% disclosure, 100% transparency, 100% real opinion, 100% no follow. If you’ve got content, creativity and influence - check out SocialSpark and jump into the marketplace.

I have to give a quick shout out to Ted’s web2.0 reality TV show, RockStartUp. Ted and the team share their start-up journey with the world. As someone who has worked at quite a few start-ups, I’d have to say the show is spot on!

Don’t forget to check out my interview with Ted back at @sxswbloghaus in March.

Rock on Ted!

Get on the Party Bus to Affiliate Summit, hosted by InternetGeekGirl
May 12th, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 1 Comment

It’s time for Affiliate Summit East and InternetGeekGirl and friends are heading up to Boston on a party bus!

Affiliate Summit is all about networking, so why not network on your way to and from the event? Join some of the leading experts in Affiliate Marketing as they make their way from NYC to Boston (and back). Participants will receive special gifts, provided by sponsors, and have the ability to win prizes. Refreshments will be provided on the bus. The bus is a typical charter bus. Unfortunately - no wifi, but bring your aircards and phones as we will be twittering away.

Click here for event details and to sign up for the Party Bus to Affiliate Summit!

Please note that this is not being organized by the Affiliate Summit team, so if you have questions, please contact me.

We will leave on Saturday, August 9th from NYC sometime in the morning (exact location TBD). Mimosas anyone!?! We arrive in Boston with plenty of time to get settled in and attend the Affiliate Dinner (hosted by Schaaf Consulting). Remember activities start early on Sunday, so arriving Saturday is recommended. We’ll head back to NYC in the morning on August 13th (so you can stay over for Tuesday night festivities). Tickets are round-trip only.

As a friendly reminder, the hotel is filling up fast (or may be already filled). Here’s the URL in case you haven’t called yet: http://www.seaportboston.com/ The show code is AFS8.

Looking forward to another great Affiliate Summit East. See you in Boston.

Love 2.0 - Socializing The Dating Experience at Web 2.0 Expo
April 18th, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 4 Comments

In the last few weeks I’ve been chatting with my “girlz” about how important it is to me in both friendship and dating to find people who “get” the technology we’re using today… i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc. Not only that, but we all felt like we knew so many incredible single people – both guys and girls – who we would love to introduce to our other amazing friends. I’m here in San Fran / Silicon Valley – the “mecca” if you will – attending the Web2.0 expo, and I thought – there’s no time like the present to bring it all together.

Please join fellow technophiles this coming Monday, April 21st at 8 pm, for a fun, casual way to expand our rapidly-growing social circles, IRL! We’ve planned a laid-back evening with one goal: meeting new people. We all loathe the so-called “singles” events, so this is anything but – just grab a few awesome, like-minded folks who aren’t afraid to Twitter out their most ridiculous thoughts while sipping on an adult beverage (or four.) To make it even better, we’ve teamed up with Engage; they share our views on matchmaking our incredible friends & have kindly offered to sponsor the drinks for this event! What’s better than that!? Oh yeah, plus give away some really fabulous T-Shirts.

And, what better way to celebrate Web 2.0 than to feature some of the more prominent (and single) people helping to define the new Web. Stephanie Agresta (that’s me), Tara Hunt, Pete Cashmore, Willo O’Brien, Aubrey Sabala, and many more will be running around!

RSVP HERE!!

Twitter it.

Facebook it.

Pownce it.

Get it on FriendFeed or Tumblr or talk about it on Seesmic.

The Who, What, Where, When, Why
Who: Fabulous Singles and Their Friends Who Love Them

What: A Monday night kick-off event and videos throughout the week at Web2.0 Expo

Where: Harlot, 46 Minna St., San Francisco, http://www.harlotsf.com

When: Starts at Harlot on Monday night, April 21st at 8 pm

Why: Because we believe in Love 2.0!

PLUS, if you’re single happen to be at the Web 2.0 expo, come by and record a video with The TechSet (a collaboration between InternetGeekGirl and @briansolis) .  Check out the very Bub.blicio.us Post Brian did.  We’re meeting with interviews of the best and brightest SINGLES in social media sponsored by Engage throughout week. Send me a note to stephanie.agresta@gmail.com, to set up an appointment. I can help you get a discounted pass (or even a free pass) if you need one in order to come by to shoot your segment.

The TechSet is a Hollywood Hit!
April 12th, 2008 by Stephanie Agresta | View 1 Comment

I’m just about to check out of the Hotel Roosevelt and head to the airport for a flight to SFO. It has been an eventful week here in LA. The TechSet Hollywood event and the TechCrunch/PopSugar party were both successful gatherings of the best and brightest in the industry.

I was so impressed with all the fine individuals I met here. There are too many to name, but you can see the story via my pictures on Flickr. LA is a new scene for me. But not for my partner in crime Brian Solis. He wrote an great re-cap of the growth of the tech community here in LA.

Content is King - especially here in LA. I predict that internet content developers will continue to gravitate to this town and explore the synergies that explode when technology meets the entertainment industry. I for one am excited to plan my next trip here. Stay tuned for more about Digital Hollywood (coming up in May)!

Big thanks to everyone who attended. We look forward to our next gathering in Silicon Valley on 4/20. Hope to see you there.

(photo credit, Brian Solis)