The Past 3 Days at Consumer Forum 2008

If you are interested in what I have been up to the for the past 3 days check it out!

DFW Tweet Up:
http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2008/10/28/video-shoutouts-from-the-dallas-tweetup/

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/forresterresearchinc/sets/72157606370804557/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/catalyststudios/tags/forresterconsumerforum08/

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=fcf08&m=tags

Streaming Videos:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/consumer-forum-2008

Tweet Stream:
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=FCF08

Thank you to everyone who Tweeted to keep up the #FCF08 conversation:

@BryanPerson, @Armano, @adamcohen, @MichelleBB, @jstorerj, @devashishsaxena, @kenburbary, @criticalmass, @daveknox, @scubachris, @worleygirl, @kvwong, @jowyang, @mozhet, @forrester, @deirdrewalsh, @georgedearing, @jaredlukes, @kathleenwiersch, @jbernoff, @bwdumars, @christinajacksn, @nickbadway, @scubachris, @jmcquivey, @BabyBits, @ryanzuk, @fanchatter, @CommunispaceCEO, comcastcares, elmiguelito, @liamorgan, @LiveWorld (I appologize if I forgot anyone, there were a ton of tweets)

Blog Posts About Forrester's Consumer Forum & The Groundswell Awards:

Gearing up for Forrester Consumer Forum 2008

Forrester Consumer Forum 2008: Maslow is Dead - First in a Series

Out with the Old; In with the New.

Highlights From Forrester’s Consumer Forum

Forrester predicts: consumer 2018

Jim Keys, CEO of Blockbuster at Forrester Consumer Conference

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Is Wrong - LIVE Report @ Forrester Consumer Forum 2008

Deep in the heart of #FCF08

Can brands afford to experiment during an economic downturn?

Forrester's Next Big Idea

This is how @Forrester does a great job incorporating social media into their events #FCF08

Wow! Young & Free Alberta wins first place in the Forrester Groundswell Awards.

@eventtrack

What is this Social Media Thing Anyway?
Twine - Wicked Smart Online Content Collection Service

@ Forrester's Consumer Forum 2008

Hi Everyone,

I apologize for the inconvenience of my random babblings but I am unable to post at all this week. For my real job I will be attending Forrester's Consumer Forum to assist with Social Media efforts.

If you are interested in what we are doing at this forum with Social Media you can check out the links below:

Join the Forrester Community on:
http://www.facebook.com/forrester
http://www.facebook.com/groundswell
http://www.twitter.com/Forrester
http://www.flickr.com/photos/forresterresearchinc

Join the Conversation on Forrester Blogs for:
The Groundswell - http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/
Interactive Marketing Professionals - http://blogs.forrester.com/marketing/
Marketing Leadership Professionals - http://blogs.forrester.com/agencies/
George F. Colony's Blog: Counterintuitive - http://blogs.forrester.com/colony

Event tags for Twitter & Flickr:
#FCF08 #ConsForum08 #Forrester #ForresterResearch #FORR

Event Website:
http://www.forrester.com/events/eventdetail?eventID=2235

Meet One-On-One With Forrester Analysts At Our Consumer Forum 2008:
http://www.forrester.com/consumer-forum-08

I promise you an invigorating blog post upon my return to work either later this week or early next week.

Thanks,
Alexis N. Karlin
http://www.alexisnkarlin.com

2 Upcoming Tweet Ups

Do you know what a tweet up is?
If you use Twitter, a tweet up allows you and other users of twitter to meet up in the real world at a real location. So if you would like the chance to meet up with people you know only virtually then you can attend a tweet up and get to know them face to face. It is a great way to network! Yay networking!

Where are the upcoming tweet ups?
The two upcoming tweet ups are in Boston and Dallas. If you are in the area click the links below to find out when, where, and how.

Boston, MA

• The Good Life - Thursday, October 23, 2008 from 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Dallas, Texas

• Love & War Grapevine - Monday, October 27, 2008 from 6:00 PM
  

Great Way to Try New Wines!

Have you ever wanted to try some new wines, while not being committed to purchasing a whole bottle?

Well, I have the perfect way for you to do this. But I need to provide you with a little back story first.

Back Story

2 months ago my roommate went to a wine tasting at a restaurant called Ivy hosted by The Second Glass and Social Boston Sports. It was a really great wine tasting with a 5 course appetizer menu included so the food was perfectly paired with the wines for only $25. Anyways that isn't the point of this post. So we sat next to this woman Connie and of course we asked the question that everyone asks, what do you do for a living? Connie said that she hosts at home wine tastings. She comes to your house with 5 bottles of wine you have pre-selected, you sample them with friends, and then you have the option to buy the wines you sampled. So we got her card and said we would call her in a couple of months.

The Whole Story

So a couple of months later we asked Connie if we could set up a tasting. She said of course, sent us a wine list to choose from, and a packet of the goodies her company also offers. We selected 4 reds and 1 white that we think would go well with our taste buds and our check books, all wines were under $15.00 per bottle. We gathered about 10 of our closest friends, asked them to bring appetizers to our apartment for a 3 hour wine tasting, and they did. We had a variety of foods that went well with the wines we choose to try out; crackers, cheeses, spreads, dips, vegetables, apple pie, and chocolate.

So at 7:30 on the dot Connie arrived with a really great wine cooler, 15 glasses for tasting, catalogs, and wine glasses that she painted herself that go with the Passport option. Not only was she organized but she knew what she was talking about. The first bottle she taught us how to check the wine for color, body, smell, and taste. Then we were allowed to taste all the wines as they were opened. She taught us that swirling was our friend because it aired the wine to give it more smell and flavor. Not only she was extremely knowledgeable about the wines we tried but she answered any other questions we had about wine.

After we tried all the wines she explained that if we wanted to place an order with her we could. If we did not want to place an order we didn't have to which was great because it didn't feel like you were being pressured. And guess what? Everyone ordered!

So if you are looking for something fun to do one night I recommend you host a wine tasting at your apartment. And if you host one at your apartment and your friends order wine, you get a percentage off of the wine you purchase, free shipping, and a free bottle of wine. It lasts about 3 hours and its tons and tons of fine. So book a wine tasting!

McAnnoying Ads

Is it just me or do the new McCafe ads annoy anyone?

If they annoy you feel free to read further. If they don't well then I suggest you read further.

First of they make Latte/Cappuccino drinkers a stereotype. Why? Well their commercials show 2 people sitting at posh place drinking lattes with cute caps, tight sweaters, and glasses. One of the 2 people bring up that McDonald's has Cappuccinos. Then it shows them taking off all of those items so they can drink a McCafe late. It suggest that the typical drinkers are a certain type of person. Rightt not so much.

Last time I was at Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or my local coffee shop there were a vast array of people sipping on Cappuccinos and Lattes. Some people had on glasses and some didn't. Some people wore turtle necks and some didn't.

So just because McDonald's thinks that the McLate or McCappucinno will change peoples personas, I think not. You are who are you, you drink what you want, and you sure as hell don't change your image because of McDonald's.