For more details join the #somob4good fan page (http://www.facebook.com/somob4good). Even if you can’t participate in person, you can share your stories about social service agencies via CNN iReport (http://bit.ly/somobcnn).

Definition of a flash mob – a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual act for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

General details:

1. Location – confirm and we will send you a message with the location (hint: it is in Denver)
2. What to wear – bring a white t-shirt – we will have stickers with the organization in Denver to put on our shirts easily
3. What to bring – bright Umbrella (preferably red, but if not red, the brighter, the better); digital camera, video camera (capture this experience for CNN iReport http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=454082)
4. Download UMBRELLA by RIHANNA (this has been approved as THE song for the Global mob with record producers etc.)
5. Spread the word! – Share your event on the Facebook page (minus the exact physical location–that should only be privately messaged to those who RSVP for the event).
6. Denver Event: We have a Colorado location so join the Facebook event page for specific location information.
7. Denver organization – we will be raising awareness for Work Options for Women – the Mission of Work Options for  Women is to help impoverished women gain the skills and confidence they need to work their way out of poverty and become gainfully and permanently employed in the food service industry. For more information: www.workoptions.org

#STUDenver Tweetup directly after http://twtvite.com/summertweetupdenver

Questions? Ideas? Etc…. send Melissa an email at mhourigan@digitalideamedia.com

Additional Resources:
MAIN Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/somob4good

Join the Google Group for details: http://groups.google.com/group/flash-mob-for-social-service-agencies?hl=en

diaspora /dī-ˈas-p(ə-)rə, dē-/origin: Greek, διασπορά – “a scattering [of seeds]”
1. the privacy aware, personally controlled, do-it-all distributed open source social network

And while you are here, take a quick poll.

Foursquare has officially declared April 16th as Foursquare (4SQ) day.

I am sure you can figure it out but basically, 4 squared = 16.

Foursquare is a social networking application that allows you to check-in to venues using your mobile device. Don’t worry, this isn’t exclusive to the iPhone,  apps are also available for Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre.

Those of us on Foursquare, love the game of it — you can earn points based on the number of times you digitally “check-in” at a location.

Getting in the know:

• The more you check-in at a venue, the more likely you will be rewarded with the “Mayor” badge. But don’t get too cocky, your badge can be taken away by someone who checks in more than you.
• Add new venues and you get points, check-in to a number of venues per day and you get points etc.
• Check-ins also give you the chance to see what others have said about the venue through tips and you can also find out who else might be at the venue at the same time.
• If you sign up for push notifications, you can see where your friends are checking in throughout the day. This is a great way to pop in and say hello if you notice that someone is right down the street.
• Badges are little rewards you earn for checking-into interesting places.  For example, staying out late on a school night or frequenting too many karaoke bars.

So merchants, listen up, for very little investment, you can connect directly with your customers through their mobile devices and reward your “Mayor” or provide special offers for check-ins. Direct marketing doesn’t get any better.

To hear what users are doing to celebrate Foursquare day, follow the hashtag #4sqday. Also, there may be events happening in your town. Many have organized “swarm” parties. The purpose of these events is to get a bunch of people to gather at one location and check-in on Foursquare. If 50+ check-in, you can unlock the swarm badge.

Here’s what is happening in Denver today. Also, I am helping with a Foursquare “swarm” party with free coffee on Monday April 19th at Cafe Options in Denver at 1650 Curtis. More info here.

Have fun and happy Foursquare Day!

The Colorado Lottery placed bright purple covers on 70 parking meters today to promote/introduce MatchPlay, its first new Jackpot game in nine years. Now, this isn’t the most creative idea but it hits the message home – you win! Just by being in downtown Denver today and parking at one of the lucky spots from Market to Curtis street, between 16th and 17th street you get a free spot, guaranteed no meter maids will leave you the bright, yellow envelop on your windshield. (I’m accustomed to these envelopes given I’ve paid more than $1,000 to the city in parking tickets. If only the Lottery had picked Blake St. between 19th and 20th…)

So what is Ignite? It’s a night of presentations with a twist. Presenting on a subject of their choice, speakers have exactly five minutes to teach something, enlighten attendees, or simply inspire—backed by 20 slides auto-advancing every 15 seconds.

I have to admit it takes skill to do these presentations. If you’re trying to hone your presentation skills – and have something entertaining to add – you should look into speaking at one of the upcoming Ignites. For everyone else, it’s just a fun night.

Take a peak at a few of the presentations from last Ignite Denver.

Ignite Denver 5 – Cupcakes and Dating: a comparative study

Ignite Denver 5 Surviving Bear attacks

Register for Ignite Denver 6

1. You run ClearView Water. Gimme the scoop.
Easy…it started when my position as VP of Sales with a water filter manufacturer was eliminated at the end of July 2009.  Not my best day, but I can assure you that the world did not end that day either.  I took a few days off and on the morning I was to start my reach-out to get a new job, I couldn’t even turn on the computer in my home office.  Not a good sign!

Red Rocks is an amazing place for me, so I took a day trip up there and sat in the ampitheatre.  Call it what you want, but I totally opened myself to ideas about what Im looking for….what I want…what I stand for…what won’t I do….who I am…and jotted them down.  It only took about 90 minutes, but when I left that park I had the sketch for the business and went from there.  I’d say it was the most important 90 minutes of my life….so far!

In a nutshell we empower families and businesses to make better choices about their water and water services.  We’re passionate about actively making our world and environment a better place namely by helping people understand they can make better choices than using any type of bottled water or water delivery service.  I have a total blast doing it – it has been unbelievably fun to start with a dream and build from there.  Plus, I wear Keen’s everyday to work now vs Cole Haan’s and suits.  I’ll take it.

2. What role did social media play in the development of your business?
Social media is the branding arm of the business and has been incredibly successful – especially in building our Google presence.  I actively use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn about an hour or so each day to post about events, news, celebrate others and talk about ClearView Water.  YouTube is coming along, but I really need to start utilizing Digg and Delicious as well.  Every single networking event I attend today is a direct result of the conversations that I started on Twitter and Facebook.   Building relationships is the key in life and certainly a huge plus in business.

The other cool thing has been crowd-sourcing.  I’ve found out about charities, conferences, marketing ideas and cool restaurants like the Larimer Hot House to support through social media.

3. What are some of the pitfalls in that approach that you would warn other entrepreneurs about?

1. Do not sell.  You/we/us are all using these channels for the conversation, build brand awareness and community.
2. Be consistent and authentic.  If you are not prepared to tweet/update daily, you shouldn’t even start as you’ll be wasting your time.  Also – your online persona had better be the same as you in real life or you will lose all of your credibility.
3. Celebrate others.  60-70% of your tweets/posts should be about brands/businesses/people that fit with who you are.  When you honestly champion someone else’s cause or business, that pay-it-forward will come back in many and usually unexpected forms.
4. Be social.  To what degree is up to you and how you want the world to know you and/or your business.  For example – I think eating pancakes from time to time is a good thing, but I do not tweet/post about every time I eat pancakes because that does not fit with the brand proposition of ClearView Water and what our customers want from us.  But for the record – I don’t eat pancakes a lot, but I am staunchly pro-pancake.

4. How do you manage your social media presence?
I’m the owner of the business and I do it personally vs. contracting it out to folks.  I really enjoy the real relationships I’ve been able to form through social media.

5. Final thoughts? On water, business, Colorado…?
My company and I are in the business of helping people understand their water and make better choices.  I had been in leadership roles in Corporate America for 17 years and had many successes, but this has been far and away been the most fun and rewarding time of my life.  I’m all about possibility and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings all of us.

In a recent Harvard Business Review Article, David Armano nails it by saying, “Many organizations simply skip this question [living social] because they assume that they themselves don’t have to be social (open and collaborative) to reap the rewards (cost savings, marketing ROI, effective reputation management, and search engine juice) they think they might get from social media.”

The more I work with companies on social media campaigns, the more I realize how important it is that the companies themselves “live social.” You can’t just hire a PR firm and hope that you develop a successful social campaign without some involvement of your own.

Which brings me to another reference. Gary Vaynerchuck social media expert, host of WineLibraryTV.com, and bestselling author of “Crush It!” was in Denver recently for the last stop of his book tour. During his visit, he shared some insightful advice from the book and how he grew his family’s $4 million wine business to $60 million in five years in large part to his “living social” approach. Because of his success, this nontraditional businessman has managed to land a spot on almost every broadcast program on TV and is a sought after speaker and consultant to Fortune 100 companies. And at the end of the day, Gary asks that you love what you do 100%, be authentic and follow your own DNA to engage with your audience.

Please enjoy some highlights of Gary’s 2+ hour discussion in Denver. Some of my favorite Gary quotes include:

• You have to be willing to bleed out your eyeballs to make it happen

• Be yourself, don’t try to be like anyone else

• You have to work your friggin’ face off

Gary Vaynerchuck