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Night Life Reprogrammed |
IgniteNYC was just one of 12 tech events listed that evening on GarysGuide, a new Web site that offers a social
calendar for 'Tech and New Media Folks' in New York.
An Indian immigrant, Gary Sharma, the founder of Gary's Guide, said he began attending events seven months ago
because he wanted to explore the potential for a software start-up company. To keep track of the nightly happenings,
he assembled a list for himself. Friends saw it and began asking him to e-mail it to them.
In February, he put the list online, calling himself the Silicon Alley Reporter. By May, he realized he might want to
expand to other cities and changed the name to something less geographically rooted. Gary, like Craig, is a name that
might work anywhere. Now he is a nightly fixture at New York parties, always wearing a bright red tie.
"Steve Jobs has his black turtleneck and jeans," he said before watching the event at IgniteNYC. "I have my red tie."
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Eight Resources Entrepreneurs Should Know About |
Gary's Guide, founded by Gary Sharma, sends out lists of events for entrepreneurs in a dozen U.S. cities--for
free. Sharma launched the service in New York in early 2008; now he assembles at least 100 meetings every week,
ranging from the Northern New Jersey Hackfest (a gathering of computer programmers) to the North American Chinese
Entrepreneur Association.
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So You're An MBA Student Who Wants To Work In Venture Capital? |
But most importantly, surround yourself with actual people who are fluent themselves. It's a smaller community than you might think. Go to the events in the city you want to work in (check out www.garysguide.com and www.meetup.com). Take as many coffee shop meetings as you can with people who can help you learn The best way to become fluent in a foreign language is immersion. This process is no different.
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Don’t Judge an Investor by His Track Suit |
Don’t fret too much, though, if you end up not getting into some of the events on your wish list, asserts Gary Sharma, founder and CEO of GarysGuide.com, a free online newsletter that lists startup and tech gatherings across the globe. “You’ll randomly meet people,” he says, perhaps even while waiting on a line. “Everyone is in a lighthearted networking spirit. Everyone is approachable.”
Also, don’t assume that the most packed places are where all the action’s at, adds Mr. Sharma. “Sometimes, smaller parties are the best,” he says, because intimate settings tend to allow for easier communication. “At the end of the day, it’s all about conversations.”
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What you missed on day one of SXSW |
Gary Sharma of Gary’s Guide, who famously wears one of his 40 red ties everywhere — probably even at the beach — has rented out ad space on the tie. That’s right, you can sponsor a guy’s tie.
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Leveling the education landscape for entrepreneurs |
Despite the influx of new online spheres of entrepreneurship, it's important to remember that real-world networking and pitching is just as if not more - critical. Be sure to browse through the events pages of GarysGuide for regularly scheduled meetups in your area.
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SXSW Interactive |
Gary's Guide To Winning A FREE SXSW Interactive Badge |
Bored? Wondering where the cool tech events are in your area? Try Gary's Guide, the #1 Tech and Media Events
Calendar. Think Craigslist, but for geeks. Gary's Guide reaches a highly targeted audience of local connectors and
influencers including entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, tech executives, bloggers, and developers to name a few.
Gary is raffling one FREE SXSW Interactive registration to their members in the Deals section of the website. If you
are lucky enough to have Gary at an event in your city, he'll be easy to spot - look for the guy in the red tie.
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HOW TO: Plan and Promote Events With Social Media |
Many conferences and event planners have come up with unique and powerful ways to promote and plan gatherings via
online social tools. This guide will help you understand how social media can power and drive an event, step-by-step.
Here are some more advanced promotional tools to consider: Add yourself to major event websites. For technology,
Gary's Guide is a smart place to be listed.
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ER Accelerator, NYC's newest startup incubator launches |
As a born and bred NYC organization, ER Accelerator has partnered with an impressive network of community organizations, including inSITE, Girls in Tech, New York City Venture Connection, Startup One Stop, Ultra Light Startups, Standard Start and Gary.s Guide.
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How To Make Money Online |
Gary Sharma, founder of GarysGuide, a newsletter that compiles lists of networking events for Webpreneurs around
the U.S., says the number of shindigs has more than doubled over the past six months, to about 90 per week.
"People once were siloed," he says. "Now they participate and things start rolling. Going to events, it stirs the
waters." And that's certainly what the economy needs right about now.
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Find a Tech Event at GarysGuide |
The New York Times reports on the new breed of geeky nightlife events like Ignite (from which we've featured
videos), and recommends consulting GarysGuide.a tech and new media events listing.to find one near you in
New York, LA, DC, Boston, and Chicago.
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GarysGuide San Francisco, Technology & New Media Events |
GarysGuide is a really great technology and new media events calendar started in New York by Gary (aka The Guy with
the Red Tie). Gary recently launched GarysGuide in San Francisco, rounding out his list of 11 top tech cities.
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Making Connections in New York City |
What do all these events have in common? Internet luminaries such as Gary Sharma (GarysGuide), Jeff Pulver, Gary
Vaynerchuk,
Shelly Palmer, Fred Wilson of AVC.com attend, all at the ready to despence advice and offer other support to help you
get your startup going. So, between Social Media Breakfasts (Jeff Pulver and Social Media Club), the numerous
meetups, and other social, entrepreneurial and educational events, New York has a rich fabric from with to launch any
business, and that's what
we were celebrating and fostering at Entrepreneur Week NYC.
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30+ Websites to Visit When You're Laid Off |
Although most of us techies do our work from a computer, networking doesn't always work that way. GarysGuide lists
out tech events and gatherings in metropolitan areas. Start a system of attending at least two of these a week and
shake hands with as many people as possible. You're not going to find your next opportunity sleeping in late.
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