At the tweetup will be food, fun and merriment. Tyler’s Taproom (@tylerstaproom) and Bronto will be providing delicious eats. Expect free beer and wine, of course #NCBeer is represented as always, featuring People’s Porter from Foothills Brewing (@FoothillsPub) as well as a California brew, Hop Head Red from Green Flash Brewery (@greenflashbeer). We’ll enjoy silly games together like Cornhole, Giant Jenga! and the old standard, Foosball (think you have what it takes to take me?!). This is all offered to our Triangle friends as a thank you for your support and camaraderie over the last five years; five years of figuring our how to work together in a more social way, online and face to face.

But wait there’s more!

We’re hosting a Mini-Ignite within the tweetup. Each year at the Bronto spring tweetup, we feature demos from local startups and panels with social media experts and new practitioners. So we thought, let’s do a few lightning talks. Ignite is spreading throughout NC now… sparked from Raleigh, then Charlotte, Durham, and now Asheville. Great people spreading ideas openly, and quickly. We have a theme this week. Drive. What drives you? Here’s a preview of our 6 Ignite speakers, each will share what drives them in 5 minutes with 20 slides that auto-rotate:

@GregoryNg: “I know everything about you. And that Knowledge is Power.”
@nutellaisevil: “I’m an atheist, but Jesus is my co-pilot”
@JaelDesignsInc: “Shattering the Box”
@jhibbets: “The path to the open source city”
@theRab (yours truly): “#TriangleTweetup: A Community History Lesson”
@timarthur: “Plugging into The New Watercooler”

The Triangle Tweetup is all about building community. Free of charge. Your entry fee is an open mind and a desire to learn and teach. Join us. Get out your smartphone and share tweetup moments with the #TriangleTweetup hashtag, as we have done together dozens of times over the last few years. RSVP to attend via triangletweetup5.eventbrite.com.

But you didn’t think we were done yet? There is even more!! The official tweetup after-party will be held at Tyler’s Taproom downstairs, complete with Anniversary Tweetup Drink specials (available all day) including #NCBeer from @TriangleBrewing!! See you there.

Parking tips: Directions to Bronto. Front Door is for Bay 5 on the street level across from University Ford. There will be balloons and a security guard to greet tweetup goers.

We’re can’t wait to see you Thursday evening for another great event.

Sincerely,
@triangletweetup @theRab @BrontoCaroline @timarthur @mistersugar @bronto @colopy @tylerstaproom @ignitedurham @igniteraleigh @dipikakohli

1. Day and time. Thursday during Preview Day. Gates open at 3pm. Tweetup at 7.
2. Tickets. Get your fair tickets online for the #DeepFried discount price of just $5. You can’t attend the tweetup without admission to the fair.
3. Arrive at the Folk Festival Tent around 7PM for the start of the tweetup social. You’ll find it between Gate 10 and the Kerr Scott Building. Social is done around 8:30ish so that you can continue the hunt around the fair.
4. Scavenger Hunt.
• The app. What we started last year with the QR Code Mystery themed hunt is now expanded into a Plan Your Own Adventure style free form Trek with the SCVNGR app. Download SCVNGR now for your smartphone from any app store for free. Create a profile and connect your app to twitter. (note: no smartphone? no problem. You can use SMS to interact with SCVNGR treks.)
• The teams. Form one or cheer for another. Form teams from friends or even ad hoc from people you meet at the tweetup. Tweet your team name and members to @ncstatefair.
• The rules. Teams have from 3pm Oct 13 to Midnight to complete as many tasks as you can with your team. Winners will be posted on Oct 14 once we tally the points earned from SCVNGR challenges.
• The challenges. Challenges will be posted in a new “Trek” in the SCVNGR app by the NC State Fair profile on Thursday. Be sure to post your tasks to twitter  with SCVNGR and use the hashtag #Deepfried.
• The points. Teams earn points by completing more challenges. The team with the most points at the end of the night will be crowned “Deep Fried” Champions. Teams and points are posted on the Leader Board blog post.
• The smack talk. Get all up in the grill as it were of those other teams. Tag your tweets with #DFsmacktalk.
• The point. Discover fair stuff. See the sights. Have fun. Good luck!
5. Download or update your official NC State Fair app. Pro-tip: It has a handy map that may be of use in your hunting or otherwise exploring of the fairgrounds this week and next.
6. Charge up your phone!! Happy tweeting.
7. Enjoy free goodies and food from Deep Fried vendors. It’s all about Food, Fun and Friends. Enjoy old favorites and new surprises at the Tweetup. Read the Deep Fried blog for more info.
8. Mingle with the Deep Fried Fair Ambassador blogger finalists, cool entertainers and exhibitors. Create some origami. Discuss your favorite fried food options. Get social with people IRL.
9. Post photos and tweets from the social with hashtag #deepfried or #triangletweetup.
10. Follow @NCStateFair and @TriangleTweetup for news and interesting content.
11. Have fun, socialize, enjoy some good eats.

See you Thursday,
@theRab

]]> http://triangletweetup.org/2011/08/22/north-carolina-museum-of-art-tweetup-and-a-movie/feed/ 0 http://triangletweetup.org/2011/08/19/ncma-tweetup-a-night-at-the-museum/ http://triangletweetup.org/2011/08/19/ncma-tweetup-a-night-at-the-museum/#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:54:41 +0000 therab http://triangletweetup.org/?p=774

Okay, tonight is the night! This is a bit of an update to the Meet Me At The Museum post. Here are some more details for all you Triangle Tweetup attendees. I’m just going to break it down with a quick list.

• Parking: Park in the Blue Ridge visitors lot (to the right) or main Museum parking lot (to the left), your choice. Both locations have paved walkways to the event.
• Site: The tweetup will be held outdoors beside the West Building. Just follow the posters to the Star Tent.
• Cost: Tweetup cost is $6 cash per guest, collected at the registration table. No need to print your RSVP ticket, we’ll have a list at the door. You’ll get a badge for entry to the movie, plus goodies like custom tweetup T-shirt and museum exhibit tickets!
• Learn: Look for Jennifer, Chad and Melissa to learn more about current and upcoming Museum exhibits and collections. They are are smart and passionate about art!
• Winning: You’ll get a raffle ticket to win cool things including Museum membership, Hot tickets to upcoming exhibits like Rembrandt in America and other surprises! NCMA is the only museum to see the new Rembrandt collection on the east coast this year.
• Yum: The @OnlyBurger food truck will be parked right beside the tweetup. They accept cash or credit. We heart their burgers and you will too! (Remember to #BackTheTrucks Raleigh!)
• Drinks: Choose from 3 flavors of awesome NC Beer courtesy of the excellent Lone Rider and Natty Greene’s! Southern Pale Ale, Guilford Golden Ale and Shotgun Betty Hefeweizen. We’ll also provide plenty of water. Please stay hydrated and drink responsibly!
• Explore: The Tweetup is an outdoor social and movie viewing but feel free to wander off through the West Building or walking trails if you want to go exploring with your friends.
• Snaps: The West Building features a photo friendly museum policy. Snap away and share your favorite pieces. Just leave the tripod and flash at home.
• Watch: The Social Network movie screening starts at 8:30pm. Your tweetup badge is your admission ticket. Here are some handy tips for the outdoor theater. Bring a blanket or chair.
• Tagging: Hashtag your photos and tweets with #ncmatweetup or #triangletweetup or both – we can’t wait to see your tweets and crazy movie commentary.
• Thanks: Be sure to tweet some love and thanks to our partners and sponsors who make the event possible! See the list in the sidebar of this blog. Here is a handy twitter list to help with the thanks: Your hosts, Jennifer (@jenniferwarner) and Chad from NCMA @ncartmuseum, Sumit and Skylar from @loneriderbeer in Raleigh, Sue (@NattySueRal) and Brandon (@nattysRalBrando)  from @natty_greenes brewery in Raleigh and Greensboro, and Brian (@bpfitzny) from @thesoringroup.
• Hosts: Say hello to your Triangle Tweetup organizers: Ryan Boyles (@theRab), Jeff Cohen (@JeffreyLCohen) and Jen Nixon (@Jennix5).
• Later: Connect with the museum online on their blog as well as twitter, facebook and flickr. We’ll curate and post the recap of all the fun. Please share your blog links etc.

Did I miss something? Please drop any last minute comments on Twitter to @TriangleTweetup.

We want you to experience something new and have fun. See you all tonight!
– Ryan

I want to meet you at the Museum. We’re hosting the Triangle Tweetup on August 19th. We’re very excited to team up with the digital marketing team at the North Carolina Museum of Art for the Tweetup this Friday night. There has been so much going on this summer, we though it would be neat to have a chance to slow things down and chill out at the art museum with a few old friends and maybe some new acquaintances. This is also a perfect chance to explore the uber modern West Building expansion. Bring your friends or a date. Bring your camera or smart phone. The new museum is photo friendly if you haven’t heard about it. We made this Triangle Tweetup the best low-cost way to spend your Friday night. Bring your blanket or chairs to watch The Social Network at 8:30 after the browsing and mingling portion of the Tweetup. For only $6 you will get an exclusive NCMA Triangle Tweetup t-shirt, 2 exhibit tickets to 30 Americans (for a return visit), admission to the summer series movie The Social Network that night, three thirst-quenching NC beer selections from Lone Rider and Natty Greene’s, and a raffle ticket to win a deluxe Art Museum prize pack. We set up an RSVP page on Eventbrite to pre-register and ask that you bring six bucks cash at the door (we did this to hold down the ticketing admin costs!). And come hungry too. The Only Burger food truck will be parked right outside of the West Building to provide dinner if you need a tasty, tasty dinner. Trust me, Only Burger lives up to the name. The Tweetup starts at 7pm at the West Building. See you at the Museum Friday night!

And as always, be sure to follow the great folks that help make the Tweetups happen!
@NCArtMuseum
@thesoringroup
@Loneriderbeer
@natty_greenes & @nattysueral
@onlyburger
@socialfresh
@triangletweetup

(Hint: scroll through and “Load more” to see all the action)

]]> http://triangletweetup.org/2011/05/20/a-triangletweetup-story/feed/ 1 http://triangletweetup.org/2011/05/19/oooh-triangletweetup-twitter-fountain/ http://triangletweetup.org/2011/05/19/oooh-triangletweetup-twitter-fountain/#comments Thu, 19 May 2011 21:17:28 +0000 therab http://triangletweetup.org/?p=732

• A social contest announcement from our sponsor CarMax with chances to win iPad 2s. That’s right, plural.
• You are the Photobooth this year! Use your favorite social photo sharing apps: Instagram, Color, Foursquare, etc. to answer questions with other people in the form of a photo. Share it on twitter and win!
• Wii “Just Dance” Off – Get your team together now! Win gift cards and certs. Team Brooks Bell… Team Capstrat… Team Bronto… Who’s gonna bring it?!
• DJ Hero Battle – Think Guitar Hero face off but with 2 Turntables! Head to head DJ battle with mashed up music.
• Tribe discussion – What are the best examples of local companies adding game components to their products or marketing? Gamification, get it? What are the best national / global brand examples of social engagement through gamification? GaGaVille anyone? 
• Learn more about a high stakes race to create something great – with real opportunity: Triangle Startup Weekend.
• Ask a Bronto expert about how to win at Email marketing, you know if you’re into that whole ROI thing.

The tweetup is going to be a lot of fun. Food, beer and drinks will be provided by the awesome folks at Bronto and Tyler’s Taproom. Giveaways for gamers!! Free RSVP is still open. This parking help is handy. We’ll see you at Bronto at 7pm tonight!

CarMax has been in Raleigh for more than a decade now. Recently the company launched new online functionality, but only in the Raleigh/Durham and Fayetteville areas. Now customers in these areas can hold a vehicle, schedule a test drive, apply for financing, initiate and pay for a transfer, select a MaxCare extended service plan, schedule an appraisal and get started on paperwork — all from any computer anywhere.

At this month’s TriangleTweetup, CarMax will launch a month-long social contest and throughout the month will give away iPad2s to four lucky winners. CarMax Raleigh Sales Manager David Brown will also give us a sneak peek at the new ads promoting CarMaxEasyShop.

Go ahead and start following @carmaxeasyshop to learn more about CarMax EasyShop. They’ll be live tweeting from the event and happy to hear early feedback from Tweet Up attendees on CarMax EasyShop and the contest.

• Here is a handy map to illustrate the lay of the land.
• Arrive early. Free parking is available so come on down. Doors open at 6:45 at Bronto. Street parking is highlighted in yellow on the map.
• There are 3 parking decks available – for a fee of $4. Your call. See map.
• Take a gander at a Google map from the Eventpage page or the American Tobacco parking guide if needed.
• Look for the precession of inflatable Brontosaurus toys. Don’t worry, they don’t bite. That’s your sign you’re in the right place.
• It’s Suite 410. It’s best to enter from the North side, shown on the map about where the B is in Bronto.

There you go, if you have questions or get lost – hey, feel free to tweet @BrontoCaroline or me @theRab on the day of the big event. If you haven’t RSVP’ed yet – what are you waiting for? Do it. Bring friends. We have so many cool activities planned! More on that in the next post.

This June 3-5, 2011, Triangle Startup Weekend is back (discount tickets are available here until May 4th) and will be held in the heart of the entrepreneurial community, the American Tobacco Campus, in Bay 7 on Friday and Sunday, and in the Tobacco Underground on Saturday (when everyone is hacking). Along with the usual festivities – pitching startup ideas to the crowd, forming teams around the highest vote getters and then building working web and mobile products over the course of the weekend – this year’s event has come awesome bonuses:

1. Local startup rockstars in the mix – Already confirmed as speakers, mentors or judges are such notable entrepreneurial community pillars as David Jones and Jason Caplain from SouthCap, Joe Colopy from Bronto, and Nathaniel Talbott from the Raleigh Ruby Brigade, just to name a few (the current full list is posted on the site). Also, if you haven’t seen George Junginger from Groupstory MC a Startup Weekend event, it’s a sight to behold in and of itself.

2. Location, location, location – Bay 7 and the Tobacco Underground are awesome event spaces and with this kind of capacity you can be sure to expect a great turnout. Which in turn = lots of awesome people, ideas and collaboration.

3. Off-the-clock Events – The first 75 people to buy tickets will accompany the organizing committee, top team and VIPs to the Durham Bulls game on Sunday, where they will all party in a private Startup Weekend deck that evening. Also hearing early reports of a Saturday night Pub Crawl in downtown Durham, and of course who knows what sleep-deprived entrepreneurs will come up with to fill the time in the late night hours.

So if you’ve got an entrepreneurial bug, odds are this event is a can’t miss for you. And there’s still time to get the discounted tickets until May 4th at http://triangle.startupweekend.org/tickets/

. Join us at the Tweetup on May 19th to discuss the event with Startup Weekend veterans or recruit new team members to make your start dream a reality.

It must be Springtime. It’s tweetup time. Bronto is hosting the first Triangle Tweetup of the year at their offices in the American Tobacco complex in downtown Durham. This is now an annual tradition with our friends at Bronto and we are looking for ways to celebrate local creativity through social networking at the tweetup. Give your ideas in the comments on twitter hashtagged #triangletweetup. We’ll share more event details in the weeks leading up to the event to be held May 19th. Be sure to RSVP on eventbrite and be sure to share the event link with your friends and followers on twitter. There are already over 60 people joining us! It will be a fun evening.

See you there!
@theRab, @JeffreyLCohen, @BrontoCaroline

Last week we announced the first ever NC State Fair location-based scavenger hunt powered by TriOut that will take place on Thursday, October 14 from 3:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. To navigate the scavenger hunt we have placed eight QR Codes around the NC State Fair that you will need to scan with a QR Codes Reader for clues. The first QR Code is placed at the Deep Fried TriangleTweetup tent which has the first clue to get you started, where you can pick up a map to help guide you and met Lawrence Ingraham @lawpower, Founder/lead developer of TriOut to answer any questions you may have. Once you start the scavenger hunt look for the QR Code signs around the NC State Fair like the one below to scan.

Note you must start at the Deep Fried TriangleTweetup tent and go in order from one to eight to successfully complete the scavenger hunt and finish back at the tent to claim your prize.

Although the location-based scavenger hunt is powered by TriOut, we would love for everyone to use our new iPhone app [iTunes link] to scan the QR Codes around the NC State Fair but we realize that everyone doesn’t own an iPhone. Keeping that in mind while working with the fair’s planning/pr team we made sure that any mobile phone user with a QR Code reader could participate in the scavenger hunt. Still, with QR Codes being fairly new to the majority of the USA population most mobile phone users are unaware if they have a QR Code reader on their mobile phones. With that being said here’s a list of resources to find a free QR Code reader for the iPhone, Android, Palm Windows Mobile, Nokia & Blackberry mobile phones so everyone can participate in the scavenger hunt.

Blackberry:
Blackberry Messenger has a build in QR Code reader or search blackberry app world for QR Code Reader

Windows Mobile:
i-nigma
Scanlife.

Android:
QuickMark QR Code Reader
i-nigma

Nokia:
Nokia barcode reader

If you have a Nokia N82, N93, N93i, N95, N95 8GB, E66, E71, E90 or 6220 Classic (APAC variants) you will find the Nokia Barcode Reader pre-installed on your device, ready to scan mobile codes around you. For Nokia N78, 6210 Navigator, N96 and 6220 Classic (non-APAC variants) you can download the application via the following link: Nokia Barcode Reader. Download to a computer and transfer it to your mobile device. Via http://mobilecodes.nokia.com/scan.htm

Palm OS:
i-nigma

iPhone: Again we would love for you to use the new TriOut iPhone app [iTunes link] but other iPhone QR Code reader apps are:
Mirascape [iTunes link]
QR Code Reader and Scanner [iTunes link]

Scanlife seems to have a QR Code reader for most mobile platforms too:

Also note if you downloaded the SPARKcon iPhone or Android app it has a built in QR Code reader as well.

Other QR Code Reader resources are:
PercentMobile – QR Code Reader Finder
http://getqrreader.com/
QR-Code Readers
QR Code readers
QR Code and 2d Barcode Readers

Good luck to everyone participating in the NC State Fair location-based scavenger hunt powered by TriOut. If you have any questions during the scavenger hunt we’ll be monitoring Twitter most of the day so feel free to send a tweet to @TriOut if needed.

If you use a QR Code Reader that’s not listed above let me know in the comments.

The “@Bronto” Photobooth shots by tweetup photographer @josh_hofer

See more interesting photos on flickr.

Tweetups and location-based services go hand and hand. Attendees can check-in at a Tweetup and share with their soical graph about the experience and even use location-based services to say they’re own the way to a tweetup. Part of the #TriangleTweetup team is a little bias when it comes to location based apps and would love for everyone to check-in with TriOut but we know there are a few more location-bases apps that the community uses such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Whrrl, Brightkite and more.

For the TriangleTweetup we’re encouraging everyone to check-in at least using both TriOut and FourSquare. If you check-in with TriOut you’ll receive a special #TriangleTweetup badge along with 10 points that will count towards your weekly points total. Your points can be used for the current TriOut leaderboard contest this week.

Foursquare has a badge called a “Swarm” badge that you’ll receive after 49 people have checked into a location. We have over 200 people RSVPed  for the event and I’m sure we have a least 100 of the attendees are using TriOut and/or Foursquare. So collecting the swarm badge should be a no brainer. Note: I don’t want to encourage check-in cheating but it was noted on the following http://www.4squarebadges.com blog

The first 49 people do not get this badge. The way to fix that if you are one of them is to checkin to another close location and check back into the main event.

Meaning you could check-in let’s say … Tyler’s Restaurant & Taproom then come back and check into @Bronto to collect the swarm badge if you’re one of the first 49 to check-in using Foursquare. #justsayin. What would be really awesome if we had 250 people to check-in to collect a Foursquare superswarm badge! #justsayin again…

Drive safe and don’t forget to check-in when you arrive at Bronto.