Jeff Cutler – columns, essays and opinions

There are people on Twitter who occasionally take a break from the madness and go silent for a bit. These people do so, in my opinion, to clear their minds and their days from the constant pull of messages that flow in front of them. This conveyor belt of information isn’t that hard to ignore, or is it?

I decided to take a day – a day where I had a bunch of deadlines – and slip away from Twitter for a while. I still created tweet-length missives, but I saved them all in a text file (they’re pasted below) instead of putting them out in the ether.

The two folks that come to mind when I think of Twitter hater, unfollowers (who then follow Twitter again) are Ari Herzog and Robert Scoble.

Robert went over to FriendFeed for a bit and then came back – albeit a little less loquacious than before.

Ari went away and then came back and then went away and then came back. In the midst of all this he unfollowed everyone and then refollowed some folks. He has reasons and rhymes for all his moves. See those at his blog.

Enough blathering. here’s what I would have said had I been on Twitter today. I’ll be back on tonight in case you missed me.

Today’s the experiment day. Gonna collect my tweets in a .pages document and then post them all as a blog entry. Feel free to comment.

Why do so many shampoo manufacturers make paper labels to go on their product? Heads-up, these bottles are in a wet, paper-destroying environment.

Wearing my Breckenridge t-shirt today. Maybe people will think I’m from Colorado and ask me questions about the wild west.

Already got one comment on my announcement (of this experiment) @chucktanowitz wanted to know why. I say it’s good blog fodder and will keep me focused on work today.

@gradontripp This is amazing. I have had to remain vigilant not to open up Tweetdeck, Seismic, Tweetie or Twitter.

Worried about the #meatcats. @clownface3 hurt her back and can’t save them from danger, and I’m headed to Panera to do some work – might even chance Barnes & Noble cc: @chrisbrogan

Cooking waffles for breakfast. Not sure if I can Tumble my food today as I’m off of Twitter. Guess I’ll take photos and post them tomorrow. #wwjce

Cats are back in. I’m off to the satellite office. NOT THE Satellite Office, but Panera in Hingham.

@jetblue – we have a team of people from Boston going to SXSW in March. We’re all on the same flight on 3/12. We’d LOVE some drink tickets if you have any around. Thx!

Nearly freaked out when I realized March is MADNESS for me. 4th I’m in Wichita. 9th I’m in Chicago. 12-16 I’m in Austin. 26-27 I’m in Saratoga. Yikers. How do people like @peterkim @adamcohen and @schneidermike do it?

One project wrapped up. Now on to a couple others. Trying to breathe. Glad it’s not scooter weather yet. Would be major-league distracted.

My favorite blog right now is Tyson Goodridge’s – http://enterdialogue.com – it’s awesome when it comes to distilling intelligence. Good work!

Just cooked some Pot Stickers and was reprimanded by one of the people who lives in the house. She pointed out that the Pot Stickers were going to be part of dinner. It’s now 3:24 and we’re Pot Sticker destitute.

Now gobbling pretzels and waking up @clownface3 – She’s asked me to be quieter in my consumption. I told her that I was getting a fist for punching.* (see The Office)

Projects 62% done. VERY happy so far. Now on to some audio editing for a client. The fun doesn’t stop.

Seems like airlines are getting slammed on Twitter. First Southwest and now United. Sounds like some companies need to listen.

Just looked at @bostonmarketer and realized she’s about 1000 followers ahead of me. She deserves more. Great content and winning smile all the time.

Got any experiments you’re doing with Social Media? Share them in the comments!

Keep reading!

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Tags: ari herzog, Boston, deadlines, procrastination, robert scoble, scoble, twitter

Discrimination, per se, is the act of not giving a person, item, event or group (or more) respect. It can take the form of outright disdain and snubbing to the more subtle act of exclusion.

We have laws in place to help control discrimination in the workplace and we have societal norms to protect us from discrimination in other realms. That said, it’s not always that easy.

As humans, we can be predisposed to enjoy foods, occasions, even people, more than we do other options open to us. In fact, the terms discriminating shopper or discriminating audience are positive ones.

And because our minds aren’t open for all the world to see, we can nurture some of our choices/discriminating actions without repercussions or explanation. Like the person who created this breakfast poll. Only three choices are listed when clearly there were other options during the meal. And worse, no write-in option for people who didn’t have eggs, pancakes or french toast.

One of the best examples of discrimination takes place during the act of statistics gathering. Ask anyone who creates a survey or poll how many write-ins they get back on average when there are open questions. The answers will astound you. Unless a query has a finite number of answers or is simply yes or no, there’s always the chance a respondent might have an answer you didn’t anticipate.

Take for example a poll about animal names. When we were trying to name our cats, we crowdsourced the naming process and came up with a poll that had nearly 30 names on it. Guess what?! The cats ended up with names that were written in instead of any of the options provided to the voters. Crazy, huh?

At least we anticipated the possibility of write-ins. Some groups don’t even think of that option and leave respondents frustrated with no way to share their true feelings or votes with poll organizers. Some examples include online questionnaires from hotels or restaurants, follow-up polls from event organizers, and even post-purchase questions from businesses.

What situation have you encountered lately that might have benefited from a write-in box? I’d give you a few choices, but I’m human and would surely overlook something. Just write in your comments on this post.

Keep reading!

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Tags: discrimination, events, irrational, polls, questions, shopping

Many people get all bent out of shape about reading books online. They gripe that resolution is crappy, that screen sizes are too small and that it’s ruining their eyes.

Shut up already.

Hasn’t the proliferation of news online made it clear that we’re moving ever-faster to an environment – if not a world – where our information might remain the same but the delivery mechanism has become more portable?

I think so. And I’m not saying that as a guy with a vested interest in having you devour my words. I’m just as happy to have you read my slogan for Gulf Oil on a billboard as I am to have you snicker at my Worries blog posts.

For those of us with messages to share – or even longer pieces like books and manifestos – we’re just crafting the story or the article, not creating the medium.

Now that my little soapboxing is complete, let me tell you the real reason for this post. A friend of mine asked me about online publishing as a viable option for her mother’s book. I went off on a tangent about trying out Lulu or other services and about how fantastic it was that she was moving forward with her plan.

“STOP,” said my friend.

Her mother had already used an online publisher and my friend was asking about promoting and selling the book. There were already cases in the trunks of all her family members and they were struggling to get recognized by the box stores as a ‘real’ book.

Aha! That’s really the trouble. When you have an idea for a book, if you don’t go through the traditional channels you’re out in the cold. For now.

Doing things yourself isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…in most cases.

It’s different with news, opinion and shorter pieces, but books still maintain a special place in the publishing world and in our consciousness. The battle against the Kindle shows that people still want a book they can leave on an airplane and not freak out about. Once you’ve left two or three Kindles on planes you might start to rethink the device at $400 a pop.

Essentially, I told my friend that she could use some social media tools to spread the word, she could set up a fan page on Facebook and get her mother on LinkedIn to share some expertise about being an author and about her topic matter.

I added that there was no guarantee and that the books might remain unsold. But if you’re doing it alone, the best you can hope for is to get people talking and reading about the book. Then someone in a publishing house might notice. Then you might get a break. Then you might sell some books.

It’s a tough business. But for those who have a story to tell, a message that must be shared, the hurdles are worth it.

What do you think of self-publishing and our slow transition to reading everything online?

Keep reading! Please.

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Tags: books, kindle, Leo Laporte, lulu, publishing, self-publishing

During what I like to call my professional networking journey, I’ve been focused on finding events that will add to my arsenal of tools and my rolodex of skilled and fascinating people.

These events have been as distant and varied as SXSW, the #140Conf, CES and scooter rallies. The people have come from all professions, income strata and backgrounds. And I’m richer for the experience.

Today – using the word ‘richer’ as serious irony – I’m sitting at the keynote address at The Non-Profit Toolbox inaugural conference in Rockland, MA. Established by Reiko and Tom Beach, the NPTB is focused on delivering training and other resources for non-profit professionals in the metro-Boston area.

The event was publicized using social media and the organizers are seriously aware of how these tools can give a boost to traditional conference promotion and execution.

It’s not the first time social media was used in this way? Hardly.

You can’t watch Twitter for more than five minutes without seeing an appeal from a charity. And billboards, direct mail and other media are filled with messages asking us to empty our pockets.

There are groups like Social Media for Social Good and Social Media for Social Change already in this space. But connecting the traditional and new communities has been an ongoing challenge. NPTB seems – based on turnout – to have met this challenge with an interesting program and an unwritten promise to teach people how to raise money and communicate more clearly and effectively.

Seems like it might work. I’m not saying this by looking at results, but by perusing the ballroom and looking at today’s agenda.

From what I’ve learned so far, there are at least 50 people in this room who were willing to get up in the inky blackness to attend a conference at a Holiday Inn. Most faces are smiling and the chatter around me is spiked with anticipation and optimism.

The agenda is similarly spiked with forward-looking sessions and what look to be useful content for this audience. Here’s a brief overview…

Keynote – The Psychology of Fundraising

Business/Finance Track – Practical Accounting & Reporting Prep; Creating Powerful Organizations; Unraveling the Mystery of Grant Writing

Marketing/Promotional Track – Planning your way to Fundraising Success; Successful Design Tips; The Web: Your Greatest Resource & Tool

What else am I seeing? Some bumps in the presentation.

Sound wasn’t perfect – but we’re not born knowing how to use wireless microphones. No Wifi – but it’s not a tweetup, it’s a business conference and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one anxious to check my mail, read blogs, and search my RSS news feeds while spending time in conference sessions.

Otherwise, there is great food, plenty of table room and enthusiastic staff. According to Reiko, upcoming NPTB conferences will remain intimate, pay attention to important non-profit topics, and provide tools that attendees can use to find success in the non-profit world.

Is the Non-Profit Toolbox the end-all when it comes to the educational options non-profit-minded people? Hardly. But it’s a start.

What events have you been to lately that bring people together to learn and actually deliver? Is social media the best way Reiko and her team can alert the world to NPTB’s mission and conferences? What would be a better way? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Keep reading!

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Tags: conference, fundraising, non-profit toolbox, NPTB, reiko beach, rockland

Woke up on this rainy morning and had an alert from Chris Brogan in my email box. It said he had a new blog post – big surprise – and I immediately read it because it featured poker player Andy Bloch.

I play a little poker and I’m pretty mediocre. I wouldn’t lose a bunch of money, but for a while I was slightly addicted. Not in a bad way…like my Internet addiction (doing email on a rainy Sunday when I could be having breakfast and putting photos of it up on NomX3 or WWJCE)…but I’d play frequently and lose about 52% of the time.

You might look at that figure and think I really stink, but if my math is correct, that means I’m losing about 2% of the time and doing OK the rest of the time. Not horrible at all.

I only got to be that good through the support of a friend of mine. He urged me to watch other players, read books on the game, and to analyze my own strategy.

Chris’ message today is one of support. Of how Andy helped out another player at the table. A big-time poker pro giving someone a little benefit just because he could.

It’s a lesson that if we have the tools at our disposal to help someone – regardless of whether we’ve gotten along in the past or whether our policies/beliefs align – what does it hurt to help out?

To me, this means putting in a good word for someone if you can. Introducing them to smarter people (that’s how we all improve). Going to their events and getting others to go. Making whatever community you’re a part of more cohesive instead of divisive.

Maybe I’m still groggy this morning and it’s making me sentimental.

Or maybe the rain is allowing me to see with clarity that if we don’t do unto others and share our support, friendships and relationships will wash away.

How are you helping support the people in your community?

Keep reading!

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Tags: Boston, Chris Brogan, Las Vegas, nomx3, poker, sitboaf, Tweetups, WWJCE

The Nazis in the square at Marienplatz weren’t making any sense. Perhaps it was their message (duh), or their circa 1951 audio equipment, or that people in Germany were protesting the protest.

Whatever the case, I couldn’t understand a word they were shouting into their loudspeakers as I walked – briskly – through the square.

I lingered long enough to be heartened by the whistles, raised middle fingers and shouts of the vast number of observers all around the protesters’ stage. But then I went off to a local bar – it was Oktoberfest in Germany after all.

At the bar, I ordered drinks and sat at a table with GF. We talked about how something as simple as yelling hateful slogans and ideals could affect someone. She had been moved almost to the point of throwing up – the protesters’ messages…or what she assumed they were shouting…was so distasteful.

I took a more clinical view. While the propaganda sharing wasn’t a true discussion, it was still an important part of our lives. The sharing of different views – PEACEFULLY – is something I’d advocate for, regardless of the message. In MOST cases.

I was still mulling over the power of conversation when we saw two guys come into the bar. We had room at our table and waved them over.

They were Eduardo and Corrado – stone merchants from Verona and Munich, respectively. And they spoke about three words of English between them.

Luckily, GF and I knew three words of German and Italian so we were off to a roaring start.

Waving hands and scrawled drawings forged a connection between us that’s not possible when people don’t try to listen or communicate.

We learned that these guys had been to ten consecutive Oktoberfests together. That they worked with marble and fine stone.

We were able to share details of our journey with them and over the course of four beers we didn’t have a lull in our conversation.

I wondered if we would have been able to share laughter or even a connection with the Nazi protesters in the square if they had wandered into the bar.

Was there any common ground at all? Aren’t they at least human?

In my other blog I rant about PETA and other extremist groups that practically force their message upon others. The skinheads in the square definitely qualify. But they make me wonder about where the line stops.

I hate smoking. I hate bad drivers. I hate women who can’t drive SUVs and persist in dropping their kids off at the bus stop every morning even though it’s 1000 feet from their house.

But my hate pales to the point I don’t feel qualified to even use that word anymore. Do extremists even know what a conversation is? And do they ever leave their views behind to really connect with friends, colleagues, family, strangers in a bar.

I’m sitting in a hotel room in Munich about to go over to Dachau for what I assume is going to be a stirring and moving morning. It’s a reminder that throughout time there have been people who didn’t leave room for conversations and just acted.

More than ever, I’m anxious to hear what you – and everyone – has to say.

Keep reading…and conversing.

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Tags: dachau, listening, munich, nazi, oktoberfest

Thursday night I got home from playing poker and laid out my plans for Friday.

I’ve got a taping for LUNCH at 2PM and a few errands to run around town. But because it is a summer Friday I had already built in a  little free time.

Most Friday afternoons I wander over to HubSpotTV for the 4PM show or grab a bench on the waterfront to people-watch and drink iced coffee. Tomorrow is atypical for a summer Friday as it’s got a few social media events on the schedule.

First is some sort of cookout in the middle of the day up in Lincoln, NH or Lincoln, MA or somewhere named after Abe.

The second is a Mashable-organized event called the #Hyatt4Good Tweetup Tour. Here’s how it’s described on Mashable’s site…

Over the past several weeks we’ve been on the #Hyatt4Good Tweetup Tour raising money for the the Summer of Social Good charity fund. We’ve had the great pleasure of meeting a lot of you so far and we have one stop left, Boston, before next week’s Social Good Conference. From the tour alone, we’ve raised over $6,500. Thank you all for coming, a big thanks to Hyatt for the beautiful venues for the events and we look forward to seeing you in Boston or at the Social Good Conference.The Boston event features: Appetizers, Cash Bar, Skype Giveaways, Fiesta Movement Agent’s offering rides to and from, Make sure to RSVP for Charity (100% of ticket sales are being donated to the Summer of Social Good fund).

Sounds like a good time. A little party, a little socializing, a little drinking and some charity tossed in for good measure. I love the idea. SO I went over to sign up for the event and saw that it was $20 per ticket. Not a big deal, but there was an option for people who had already donated to the Summer of Social Good.

I went to their site to see what that was all about.

There I found their four charities – one of which I really agree with and three that I’m less inclined to contribute to. And I also found a donate page. This is what started me on this rant.

This year I worked for a charity – I should say volunteered – that collected $100,000 for charity. We did this by focusing on making it easy for our audiences to give money.

Similar to Obama’s campaign, we didn’t turn down any donation amount. If you wanted to give us a nickel, we’d take it. It all goes to the cause and every little bit helps.

Not so for Summer of Social Good. See this screen shot…

Do you see what it says up top? That’s right…

If you want to make a donation to this project, please select or enter how much you would like to donate. The minimum donation is $10.

Excuse me? Is it too difficult to take $2, $5, $9.50 from people that you just ignore anyone who can’t spring for $10 or more? In the midst of the 2nd-most devastating economic downturn in my lifetime you’re refusing to take people’s micro-payments?

Isn’t social media great because it’s participatory?

What happens to the large chunk of social media folks who might want to support your causes but can only afford to give you $3 because they don’t have jobs?

Maybe they could scrape together a couple bucks for you, but your group refuses to take their cash because it’s not in a high-enough denomination?

That’s just silly.

There’s a lot of “rah rah rah, aren’t we great because we’re using social media tools to raise money” going on all around us. It’s admirable that so many people are involved and that causes are being helped.

But when it comes to making the decision not to accept help because it doesn’t match your criteria, you’re just shortchanging your organization – and literally shortchanging the people and organizations you’re hoping to help.

Keep reading!

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Tags: #hyatt4good, charity, Jeff Cutler, mashable, Summer of social change

Have you ever had to edit a Word doc with a group of committee members? If so, you know that by the time you get the original document back, it’s every color under the rainbow and all shred of continuity has been extinguished.

That’s usually the power of collaborative tools. And that’s why there are so many jokes about large committees not being able to accomplish anything.

In fact, there’s a town north of Boston where the school committee chair allows everyone from the crossing guard to the custodian to give their thoughts on policy before making a decision. In that hamlet, the meetings regularly go for 90 minutes longer than scheduled and it’s taken them years to agree on topics as menial as school naming procedure.

But I digress. Technology now makes it possible – and has made it possible for years – for large groups to work together without being at the same table or even in the same hemisphere, and actually accomplish real work.

These tools, on display at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference at the Westin Waterfront Hotel this week, are proving to be the lifeblood of doing more work with fewer staffers.

For example, RollStream has a product that allows companies to build networks like Facebook for their clients. Essentially, the software creates a closed social network where teams can work together online, safely and easily.

Also at the show is a company called ThoughtFarmer. They’ve created a tool that’s used internally at companies for collaboration and information exchange. One interesting way people are using this software is to put up company alerts, HR info, and other internal forms and data – all inside the walls of the firm and presumably safe from prying external eyes.

Walking around the exhibit floor, I saw a dozen companies with similar products and that made me realize it might be the wave of the future. But why?

I think it’s got the promise of financial savings and ease of use. People are increasingly comfortable sharing their updates on Twitter and LinkedIn and Facebook, so why not leverage that familiarity to create tools that work the same way at the office?

Are we hearing the bell toll for shipping, hard media forms like CDs and DVDs, and for business travel?

Well, products will still have to be shipped and people will still want to look at larger documents in hard-copy (architectural drawings, etc.). But as these tools get more popular, we are going to see fewer people jetting around the world to sit in a room with a useless committee. We’ll see less spending on shipping if people can just click and see a product or contribute their thoughts. And we’ll continue to see companies tightening their belts on resources.

One can only wonder what’s going to happen to conferences like this one when everyone finally buys into distance learning and collaboration. Why would you ever need to go anywhere to be AT a conference if you could be there just by sitting down at your desk?

What’s your take on new media tools for business? Are you marketing, collaborating and interacting only on line these days?

Keep reading!

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Tags: collaborative tools, distance learning, enterprise 2.0, Facebook, Jeff Cutler, technology

You’ve seen the books in the self-help section of Barnes and Noble or Borders.

Who Moved My Cheese

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

All I Needed To Know About Social Media I Learned Over A Danish At SMB13

Popular titles, all. But the one thing they have in common is the strength of the storytelling. To get someone to pay attention to you, your company, your product, your prowess, your demands and your opinion, you should tell your story in a convincing way.

Take for instance Willie Wonka. Without the golden ticket promotion or the fact he had imprisoned some short factory workers, he was just another guy with a chocolate river, a glass elevator and a weird time-machine boat. But he could tell a story.

Let’s take a harder look at the candy magnate’s modus operandi and see if we can apply some of the lessons he taught to your life in the social media sphere.

Hey, Oprah, Ashton, Today Show, Brookstone, Fat Cat Quincy and others, this might help you connect with your social media audience a little more effectively. So listen up.

1 – Don’t be predictable.

Mr. Wonka looked conservative and staid in his suit, top-hat and cane. But he wasn’t afraid to use an impromptu gymnastics move to recharge his audience and get their attention.

*If you haven’t seen the movie, Wonka sticks his cane in the bricks, feigns losing his balance and somersaults forward toward the locked gates of his chocolate factory with the entire town and multiple media outlets standing outside. They gasp and then cheer and he captures their hearts. Touching.

Convert this to apply to your social media strategy. Your company can remain as laced-up as you want when it comes to traditional media and marketing, but if you want to reach a new audience go to them. Wonka new the people thought he was a reclusive, unapproachable soul. He reached them by being human.

So get out there and converse with your communities. And from time to time, refresh yourself in their eyes by stepping out and doing something unpredictable.

e.g – (after each section I’ll give a real-world example that could help a company) How great, and how much buzz would Dunkin Donuts generate if they gave away free coffee to their Facebook Fans one day? Nobody else gets the free coffee, only FB fans.

2 – Don’t make missteps (or at least prepare for the fallout as best you can)

As part of his process of searching for a successor, Wonka invites five children into his factory for a tour. During this tour he allows them enough chocolate, blueberry gum, golden eggs, fizzy lifting drink and other accoutrement to eliminate them as candidates.

They fall one by one and soon nobody is left to take over the chocolate factory.*

*no spoilers here.

The world of social media shrinks the world and speeds up the flow of information. If your company is doing something wrong, stop now and get ready for the eventual (because it will happen) backlash. Social media people will recognize these names – Skittles, Domino’s and KFC (thanks Oprah).

Either poorly thought out or poorly responded to crises, these companies all got dinged by something as simple as a hashtag or a RT (@oprah, that means Retweet. It’s when someone repeats what someone else on Twitter says. It’s the viral way for a message about free chicken to cause massive food shortages as the world’s largest chicken chain.)

So, when you make a mistake and create a new return policy on massage chairs or decide that you’re not going to let a Nine Inch Nails application in your iTunes App Store, be ready for the public response.

When in doubt, pretend that you’ve made this decision public on all TV shows, in all newspapers and magazines and on all Websites across the world. Then see how you might handle it differently. Because people will find out.

3 – Keep an eye out for unlikely partnerships

While it was a manufactured misdirection, the association of Slugworth and Wonka was one that seemed so unlikely that little Charlie was aghast when he saw Slugworth near the end of the movie.

Wonka found that it was important to remain friendly and cooperative with the majority of people within his sphere of influence because it was beneficial to the chocolate plant and to him personally.

In social media, don’t just ignore someone because you can’t see their worth right away. Take a moment to explore the different facets of a person’s background and skillset before you dismiss them.

A real example for me was landing a gig writing content for a pharmaceutical community site. The company had assigned me to work on a community for one condition without knowing my background. When I mentioned that I had a chronic illness, the hiring professional stopped in her tracks and decided to move me to a community they were creating specifically for that disease.

Now the company is getting a deal and receiving richer content because I can spend less time on research and use more billable hours writing.

Is there a takeaway to this? Should you model your social media-aware business on the stylings of a guy who breaks into song everytime he wants to teach a lesson?

My comment is to keep your eyes and ears open. Learn from everyone you meet. And find people who can show you the proper way to communicate with the tools of today.

Keep reading…sweet dreams.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: A lot of people ask me where my ideas come from and how I can create so much content across so many channels. The content production just comes from knowing the vehicles and using them correctly – and from 20 years as a professional journalist and freelance writer. The ideas, they come from everywhere. This column was sparked – literally – by my mistake of putting a FastBreak candy bar in the microwave. I asked myself aloud if Willie Wonka would have done that and out popped this piece. See photos below for the aftermath.

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Tags: Jeff Cutler, lessons, mashable, Oprah, social media, twitter, Willie Wonka

In the world of technology and social media events, we’ve gotten complacent about entry and registration fees. The community has come to realize that content can vary greatly and that a for-fee model doesn’t always guarantee quality.

In fact, some of the functions I’ve attended that offered the best intelligence and networking were entirely free and even included beverages and food. The caveat is that these ‘free’ events are usually underwritten by a sponsor who sees some value in bringing the social media community together.

They also get a list of attendees – nothing to sneeze at in an era where lead-generation efforts can cost firms up to $500 per qualified lead. And they also get a bump in SEO and link juice because people like me tweet, blog and podcast about my experiences and connections facilitated by this free event.

Poking around online, I found that Twitter folks had strong opinions…

Stuart Foster said, “I think it’s totally cool as long as the fees are clearly outlined and the reason for charging them is also outlined.”

Don Martelli said, “I dont mind the reg fees just as long as 1. thr will be real SM uses explained that I cn learn from 2. attendee list is solid. It’s a no brainer. just lk twttr & other SM nets, it’s all abt the content & the ppl. otherwise, it’s just a lot of yappin.”

Rachel Levy said, “I think it’s perfectly fine. If people don’t want to pay, they won’t attend, and it will probably limit attendance.”

Mike Shea rounded out the group saying, “I would love to see more free ones, but charging fees usually makes a better event, so it makes sense to. But as a college student, the fees have stopped me from attending.”

Gaining such a perspective helps me understand and schedule my tour of events. I love to swing by a TweetUp and pop in on a TechTuesday or MobileMonday session. But I also see some value in organized events being a little financially exclusive.

If you want access to a musical artist, you pay money for their concert. If you want to see a movie, you pay a fee to be entertained. Why should being informed be any different?

We pay for college classes, we pay for continuing education, we pay to learn a language when we’re going to another country. Is delving into the minds of the social media leadership that different?

Clearly, I’m straddling the fence. I want free drinks and food. I want people who can spark my imagination and fulfill my need for knowledge. But I also want to keep money in my wallet.

What’s created this sudden angst after five years in the social media space? Just the steady increase in paid events on my calendar.

It used to be that you could go to Podcamp for free. The unconference model – a contradiction – was that the conference would form itself based on the desires and needs of the attendees. I’m pretty certain that the attendees didn’t need to start paying $50 to attend what was once a free gathering of podcasting enthusiasts. But it happened.

Social Media Breakfasts started out free and now incorporate a symbolic charge of about $8 to ensure attendance and an accurate headcount (I think podcamp could have done the same thing – people are loathe to part with much more than $5 so an $8 fee would have cemented an audience).

One Web/social media entrepreneur has become an artist at pimping a social event and then turning it into a paid conference. The key there is to get on the speaker list so you can attend for free or to linger around the Web and see if the content is shared via live tweets, Web streaming or archived info.

And some of the larger learning sessions have gone the way of the traditional tradeshow. They’re now called summits and labs and camps, but they’re finally focusing on making some money from the increasing participation in the social media space.

Just this week I signed up for an event – What’s Next in Tech – and was surprised to see a $40 pricetag on it. The attendee and speaker list was similar to the crowd I see at WBUR TweetUps and around town at other free events. For $40 attendees weren’t even getting open bar – a pleasant perk and numerous free Boston events.

As a journalist, I played that card and am attending as a member of the media. But what is the driver for someone else to register and part with $40?

I asked that of Shayne Gilbert, one of the organizers for What’s Next in Tech: Exploring the Growth Opportunities of 2009 and Beyond. *You can find conference details HERE.

**Gilbert reminded me after I first posted this that they are offering scholarships to the event – just see the event site link above for details.**

I told Shayne I had gotten a few comments already from people who wanted to know what their $40 would buy at this ‘next in tech’ event. Here’s our conversation…

JC: Who is this event best suited for?

SG: People currently looking for their next career opportunity, starting companies, or investing in start-ups. Also, recently graduated students. We want to have a conversation that’s focused on the future of technology here in Massachusetts.

JC: How will job seekers benefit by attending?

SG: Our goal is to provide a picture — with help from our speakers and attendees — of where the growth opportunities are in tech right now.

JC: What level of tech knowledge should an attendee possess?

SG: There’s no pre-requisite here. The conversation will be accessible to anyone.

JC: How will questions for the panels be taken?

SG: Live, from people in attendance.

JC: What is provided (food/drink/facilities/materials)?

SG: Light appetizers & cash bar.

JC: What new tech outlets will be present?

SG: Several local bloggers, ZDNet, Boston Globe.

JC: What should someone hope to get out of this?

SG: Ideas and inspiration about where the tech industry in New England is heading.

JC: Would an iPhone app developer benefit as much as a venture capitalist or a CMO of a local company?

SG: Hmmm… inclined to say yes. But the event isn’t really designed for CMOs.

JC: How was this event developed?

SG: We put together a number of local conferences like the annual Nantucket Conference on Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and the Future Forward Executive Retreat. But we hadn’t really done any events that were open to everyone, relatively inexpensive, and focused on what happens right now. Hopefully, it will be useful both to people looking for their next gig, and people starting their next company.

I’m not really sure if the knowledge is worth it, but I’ll be there sharing my experiences via Twitter if you don’t have the cash to plunk down. Shayne did tell me that the $40 is a discounted price only available until this Friday, May 15. Then it goes up.

Ultimately, I’m still going to see where I can save money as I sail my social media ship through all the events I can find. But the way I’ve started to think about things is in possible ROI. If I meet one person that hires me to work 20 minutes for them, I’ve made my money back.

Or if I can get in as a member of the media AND sell the article, I’ll be way ahead of the game.

You’re going to have to decide if $8, $40, $50 or $1000’s are your limit when trying to make more connections in the social media world.

Maybe I should just start tweeting to my friend Ashton and ask him to hire me to write his biography. I’d get to spend some time in California and I’m pretty sure he’d pay me more than $40.

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Tags: Ashton Kutcher, Boston, Jeff Cutler, next in tech, podcamp, social media, twitter