For the past few weeks, I’ve been working with Chris Heuer, founder of the Social Media Club, and J.R. Johnson, CEO of Lunch.com, on a thought-provoking event series called "Lunch For Good" to help better understand how and why people contribute online — and how we can take steps to improve online communications and online participation to help make the world a better place. You can read more about the mission and participate in the conversation here. (You can also tune in at #lunch4good on Twitter.)
Yesterday was our first of three events and some of the most forward thinkers on the subject of online communities gathered together to discuss what it really means to be a "responsible participant" online. (See the RSVP list below.)
The event began with light networking and culminated to break out discussions and then to consensus reporting about the ramifications of what it means to participate in online communities and why there continue to be issues that surround comfort levels of participation, access to participation, etiquette, as well as problems inherent in the digital landscape that can hinder inter-personal communications.
The questions on how to ease the fears while transitioning from community participation in the real world into the online world aren’t new — but many of perspectives brought to the table yesterday were, and the conversation is just getting started.
We’ll be posting videos from the event soon and you’re encouraged to chime in with your own thoughts on these very important questions!
I’m proud to have been able to play a role in bringing such an amazing group of people together for this discussion and am looking forward to round two in late October when we’ll dive a little deeper and seek solutions to how to better spark "critical thought" online.
If you’ll be in San Francisco in late October and would like to be considered for an invitation to the next Lunch For Good event, please click here.
RSVP list for Lunch for Good #1
* Elizabeth Chien, Attorney, Baker and McKenzie
* Marla Schulman, Founder, DVINIDEAS
* michal strahilevitz, Professor of Marketing, Golden Gate University
* jeff weissner, Media Strategy Consultant, Self-employed
* Henry Oh, Co-Founder, Hong Kong Startup Association
* Chris Anderson, General Manager, Principal, Freshout
* Julie Greenberg, Co-founder, Jobnob
* Davin Miyoshi, CEO, MesmoTV
* Richard Ault, Founder, u8what
* Tina Liao, Media Director, Orange22
* Jon Wollenhaupt, Vice President, Excel Meetings and Events
* Katherine Webster, ceo, Storytelling Media
* Marita Roebkes, Social Media Manager, Social Media Academy
* Michelle Fairbansk, Account Executive, Brightidea.com
* Valerie kameya, Sr. Consultant, Valkra
* Dom Sagolla, Author, 140 Characters
* Maria Niles, CEO, ConsumerPop Marketing
* Rachel Weidinger, Consultant, Weidinger Consulting
* Sarah Dopp, Community Manager, Genderfork.com
* Susan Tenby, Online Community Director, TechSoup
* Violet Blue, Community Development, Swordfish Corp
* Thomas Knoll, Community Development, Swordfish Corp
* Navi Ganancial, Outreach Associate, Netroots Nation
* redg snodgrass, Vice President, Skout
* Ryan Hupfer, Communicator of Awesomeness!, HubPages
* Kenny Lauer, Executive Director, Digital Experience, George P. Johnson
* Amanda Cey, President, ABCey Events
* Jan Grotenbreg Grotenbreg, Founder, Silicon Valley Link
* Melody McCloskey, Manager, Content, Current TV
* Taylor Norrish, Founder/CEO, Govit.com
* Derek Overbey, Sr. Director of Marketing & Social Media, Roost
* Rebecca Reeve, Publicist, Rebecca Reeve
* Ben Metcalfe, Founder & Lead Consultant, Swordfish Corp
* Amy Muller, Chief Community Officer, Get Satisfaction
* Thor Muller, CTO, Get Satisfaction
* Cathy Brooks, Raconteur, Other Than That
* Jennifer Lindsay, Principal, Jennifer Lindsay Digital Consultancy
* Melissa Dodd, Marketing Director, Ask Me
* Jason Johnson, VP Marketing & Business Development, Via Licensing
* kristy graves, independent agent
* Travis Murdock, Senior Account Supervisor, Edelman
* Harry McCracken, Editor, Technologizer
* Lisa Sculati, Community/Social Media Manager, Sweden Networking Group
* Adrian Chan, owner, gravity7
* IdaRose Sylvester, Founder, Silicon Valley Link
* Tom Foremski, Editor, Silicon Valley Watcher
* Richard White, Founder, CEO, UserVoice Inc.
* Dana Oshiro, Writer, ReadWriteWeb
* Schlomo Rabinowitz, Creator, VideocampSF
* Mariva H. Aviram, writer & entrepreneur, Mariva Media
* Eric Wagner, IT Director, Kyte
* Brian Zisk, Co-Founder, Collects
* Elisa Camahort, Co-founder and COO, BlogHer
* Vinnie Lauria, co-founder, Lefora
* Paul Carr, Hack, PaulCarr.com
* Alexandros Pagidas, Founder, Idea Contest 2.0
* Caroline McCarthy, Staff Writer, CNET News
* Diane Bisgeier, Director, Product Marketing, Soar BioDynamics
* Axel Schultze, CEO, Xeequa
* Chris Heuer, Founder, Social Media Club
* Ken Yeung, Blogger/Photographer, TheLetterTwo.com
* Adina Levin, VP Products, Socialtext
* David Cohn, Founder, Spot.Us
* Jake Saxbe, Founder, Toobla
* Pat Diven II, Founder, AddToAny
* Fredric Paul, Publisher / Editor in Chief, bMighty.com, TechWeb
* Adam Jackson, Evangelist, Self
* Melissa Cunningham, VP, Brand Marketing, Lunch
* Chia Hwu, Community Manager, 23andMe
* David Spark, Founder, Spark Media Solutions
* Tamara Mendelsohn, Community and Marketing Manager, Eventbrite
* Gil Heiman, Director of Community, Clarizen
* J.R. Johnson, Founder, Lunch.com
* Myles Weissleder, Founder, SF New Tech