sMoRTy71.com

Notable uploads from Sanjaya-ize.com

2008-08-22T16:02:00.007-04:00

Several of us at the office have been keeping a close eye on how many people are checking out our new Sanjaya-ize Yourself widget that we launched to help promote our new Nationwide TV commercial.

This one is, so far, my favorite:

Darth Vader

Other good ones include:
Lil Jon (almost a tie with Vader for awesomeness)
Optimus Prime
Spiderman
The Incredible Hulk
Nick Nolte

If you've Sanjaya-ized yourself, post a link in the comments.

Sanjaya-ize Yourself goes live

2008-08-20T18:00:00.003-04:00

My first social media-related project at Nationwide went live this week. As you may know, Sanjaya Malakar from American Idol is featured in the latest Nationwide TV commercial (you can also see behind-the-scenes making of footage here). I was part of the team responsible for getting the word out about the ad.

In addition to having a press event and doing lots of blogger outreach, we also created a Sanjaya-ize Yourself widget that allows you to try on Sanjaya's unique style. You upload your photo, then choose your hairstyle, clothes and accessories. Depending on which outfit you choose, you will hear one of 3 song clips from the TV commercial followed by Sanjaya singing the "Nationwide is On Your Side" jingle.

Of course, at the end, you can share your Sanjaya-ized self with your friends via e-mail or by posting a link to Facebook, MySpace, digg, del.icio.us and StumbleUpon.

Check it out for yourself, then let me know what you think.

Make sure you check out the new TV commercial as well.

Happy 11th Birthday, Mahlon!

2008-08-18T07:07:00.002-04:00

It was 11 years ago today that we welcomed Mahlon Maximillian Morton into the world. Hard to believe he is 11 already.

We had a party with his Louisville friends a couple of weeks ago before the move to Columbus. Tonight, we will celebrate here with some brownies (he prefers those to cake) and some Go-Karts and Laser Tag.

Happy Birthday, Mahlon!

Fantasy Football '08 has begun

2008-08-12T07:20:00.005-04:00

It's that time of year again. The time when you watch teams that you don't even care about just to find out how many yards your backup tight end got. It's also the time when you trash talk your friends and colleagues about their lousy coaching decisions every time you talk to them.

Our league, which enters its 9th season, welcomes a couple of newcomers this year: Todd Earwood, who pays tribute to my FFL legacy with his "Earwood71" team name, and Brendan Jackson, coach of RTC. It's great to have them in the league... since they have no chance of winning more than 2 or 3 games this season... and they are in my division, so I get to play them each twice.

We also have the return of Eric Brinley, coach of the Hillbilly Hairybacks, who missed last season due to vacation. He was out of the office when the invite went out and the league filled up before he got back.

We had our automated draft this past Saturday and I am pretty happy with my team. It's not great, but it isn't as bad as last year's post-draft lineup. My starters are:

Derek Anderson (QB)
Rudi Johnson (RB)
Willis McGahee (RB)
Anquan Boldin (WR)
Kevin Curtis (WR)
Torry Holt (WR)
Heath Miller (TE)
Adam Vinatieri (K)
Bears (D)

As always, I will post weekly updates on my team's progress... unless I lose a lot.

Still getting settled in Columbus

2008-08-12T07:16:00.002-04:00

I just realized that it had been more than two weeks since my last post. Things have been very hectic with starting a new job, moving into the new house and trying to get the old house sold.

We spent this past weekend back in Louisville touching up paint, cleaning carpets and getting the last few odds and ends out of the old house.

Now, our focus is on getting everything unpacked in Columbus. We've made some progress; however, there is still a lot to do.

I'll post some photos of the new house once we get everything finished.

We found another house in Columbus

2008-07-21T22:14:00.003-04:00

After the first house in Columbus didn't work out, Amy, the kids and I went househunting again on Sunday. After seeing about 10 houses in the morning and early afternoon, we found the one below.

It is a really great house. It's brand new, has over 4,000 square feet of finished space (with a big unfinished section of the basement), is at the end of a cul-de-sac and has over a half acre lot.

Because it is new construction, we can close on it quickly. We will close and take possession of the house on Monday, July 28th.

We are relieved to have found another house so quickly, especially since my new job at Nationwide started this week and I am staying in a hotel.

You can see more photos on Flickr. Expect a bunch more as we get moved in.

The "Shawn Morton Sendoff" recap

2008-07-17T22:12:00.011-04:00

Tonight, Todd Earwood, Tom Osborne and Beth Blakely organized a going-away get-together for Amy and me at the Fox and Hound Pub.

I was really blown away by the turn out. In addition to Amy and myself, we had Todd, Tom, Beth, Jay Garmon, Pat Glancy, Dan Knoy, Mark Kaelin, Nikki Key, Jason Hiner, Chris Hamm, Brian Herbert, Paula Osborne, Eric Roland, Kevin Brown, Greg Gorman, Matt Winn, Ben Thomas, Dan Shaw, Joe Wheeler, Amy Wheeler, Jeremy Lwanga, Terra Santos, James Santos, Hannah Santos, Rob May and Ted Smith. I'm hoping I didn't leave anyone out.

We got a cake from Todd and Ted also gave me a "Kentucky for Obama" hat to wear in Ohio.

We also got two "Top 10 reasons Shawn is moving to Columbus" lists:

10. Received Professor Emeritus status from Ohio State to start teaching a course in Rock Band
9. Shawn is going to open a chapter of ATO at Ohio State a la "Old School"
8. Shawn found out you can get the Victoria's Secret catalog much quicker in Columbus
7. Got stranded in Columbus when his promoter pulled the funds on his Guitar Hero World Tour
6. Well, it's approximately 15 miles closer to IKEA and, with gas at $4 a gallon, he will save about $4 dollars on every trip. SHAWN'S GOING GREEN!
5. It became increasingly embarrassing when people kept overhearing Shawn, Tom and Eric talk about "condoms" during meetings at Panera and Starbucks
4. He finally convinced someone that this "social media" blah-tee-blah is going somewhere... WHATEVER!
3. His attempts to lobby the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a category for Guitar Hero had failed. Moving to the state capital to start lobbying the politicians is the next step
2. ***EDITED TO KEEP THIS PG****
1. Shawn realized that he has more hair than Brutus Buckeye

Here's the other list:
10. It's the birthplace of his personal hero, Randy "Macho Man" Savage
9. He's going to be a contestant on Survivor: Franklin County
8. Wants to snag coveted position as curator of Lil Bow Wow's childhood home and museum
7. Just likes to say the word "buckeye"
6. One word: Somaliwood
5. ***EDITED TO REMOVE A REFERENCE TO A FORMER BOSS***
4. Bat-shit crazy TR forum members found out where he lived
3. Wants to impress OSU coeds with his Guitar Hero expertise
2. Little chance of being homesick for KY since, counting his wife and kids, he's taking 28% of the state's population with him
1. You go where the Witness Relocation Program takes you

Amy and I had a really great time. We appreciate everyone taking the time to be there.

SMC Louisville July '08 event recap

2008-07-16T08:53:00.009-04:00

Last night, the Social Media Club of Louisville held their July event at the Louisville Visual Art Association. Jake McKee, LEGO's former community manager, was the featured speaker. He gave a great presentation on how LEGO adopted the ideals of the "Cluetrain Manifesto" to become a leader in consumer engagement.

This photo by Aaron Marshall. See more of Aaron's photos.

I had previously seen Jake participate in a community panel at SXSW Interactive back in March.

Jason Falls, in the right foreground, listens to Jake McKee during the "Building Online Communities That Work" panel at SXSWi 2008

There was a good crowd at the event with around 30 people in attendance. Some of the attendees included Jason Falls, Tom Osborne, Michelle Jones, Aaron Marshall, Ashley Cecil, Nick Huhn, Jay Garmon, Chris Parrish, Todd Earwood, Nikki Key, Veronica Combs, Brendan Jackson, Steve Magruder, George Parker, Chris Hamm, Dawn Yankeelov, Kat French, Todd Smith, Melanie Rosenthal and Joe and Amy Wheeler.

The event was sponsored by Doe-Anderson who brought Jake in town to speak and The Basement who provided the hors d'ouvres.

This will, unfortunately, be the last SMC Louisville event I'll be attending for a while; however, it was definitely the best yet.

BTW, Aaron Marshall took a lot of great photos of the event.

Social Media Club July event tonight

2008-07-15T08:13:00.004-04:00

Jason Falls and his employer Doe-Anderson have brought community guru Jake McKee to Louisville. He is going to be the speaker at tonight's Social Media Club event at the Louisville Visual Art Association.

Jason and I had dinner with Jake last night. It will be great to have someone with Jake's insights and experience speaking here in Louisville.

I will post plenty of photos and, hopefully, a QIK video of Jake's remarks.

Going-away party is Thursday night

2008-07-15T08:03:00.003-04:00

My friends Todd, Tom and Beth have organized a going-away get-together this Thursday at 6PM at the Fox and Hound Pub & Grille. Here is the official description from the Facebook page:

"We're all happy (ok supportive) of Shawn's great new gig with Natiowide in Columbus, OH. Sadly, he'll be leaving town next week, so let's gather back at Fox & Hound Pub for a fun night to give him, Amy and all the kids our best wishes in person.

Note: If more than 71 people show up, Shawn promises to shave his head... oh wait!"

You can RSVP here.

I am Tracy Flick

2008-07-14T17:25:00.003-04:00

I recently threw my hat in the ring for the 42nd board position for the Social Media Club. According to a new post from Chris Heuer, 38 other people had the same idea as me.

In order to determine the final board member, they have opened it up to a popular vote.

So, dear reader, I am here to do some good ol' fashioned vote grubbing. If you want a Social Media Club board member who can crush the other 41 in Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band and can quote Alec Baldwin's "Glengarry Glen Ross" scene verbatim, then I'm your guy. Oh, I also know a little bit about online communities and social media if that helps.

You can cast your vote here (no registration required).

Last week in Louisville

2008-07-13T16:38:00.006-04:00

I will be heading to Columbus to start my new job with Nationwide a week from today. It's been so crazy these past couple of weeks, with finding a new house and preparing our current house, that I didn't realize how quickly I will be leaving Louisville.

My last week in town won't be any less hectic.

Monday
We have two realtors coming over to check out the house and help us set a sale price. They'll each present a marketing plan next week and we'll pick whichever one we like best to be our realtor.

We are also having a basement specialist check out the new house in Columbus to see what is going on there. If it turns out to be bad, we're going to be back searching for a house (and the rest of this list may be shuffled around considerably).

That evening, I am supposed to grab dinner with Jake McKee and some members of the Social Media Club. Jake is in town to do some work with Doe-Anderson and speak at the SMC event on Tuesday.

Tuesday
We have the monthly Social Media Club meeting with Jake McKee.

Wednesday
We have our builder coming to make some repairs to our current house in the morning, then Atlas Van Lines will be coming over to evaluate how much stuff we have for the move. Then, there is a CNET Alumni lunch at Ernesto's.

Thursday
I think there might be some sort of going-away get-together Thursday evening. Don't really have many details on that yet.

Friday
Mahlon is having an early birthday party since he won't be in town for his actual birthday in August. He's going to Renaissance Fun Park for laser tag, go carts and mini-golf. Afterwards, we'll have a bunch of 11 year olds sleeping over.

Saturday
Miles is having his early birthday party since he won't be in town for his actual birthday in August either. Miles has chosen to do a Build-A-Bear party at the Summit followed by pizza and cake at the house.

Then, on Sunday, I travel to Columbus. Of course, I still have to secure a place to stay. I guess that should be on the top of my list for Monday.

I am joining the team at Nationwide

2008-07-10T21:05:00.004-04:00

I have been a little mysterious about what exactly I will be doing (and for whom I will be doing it) in Columbus. Today, the internal e-mail announcement went out, so I will share a little more now that I'm "official."

I am joining Nationwide to help build out and execute their social media strategy. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail announcement:

"I'm pleased to announce Shawn Morton will be joining the Corporate Internet Marketing team on Monday, July 21, 2008 as a Sr. Consultant, Social Media... Shawn will be responsible for driving Nationwide's social media strategy to build Brand and engage customers and future customers on and off of nationwide.com."

As I've mentioned previously, I am really excited to be joining such a great team at a company that understands the importance of social media. I can't wait to get started.

Look out, Columbus. Here we come.

2008-07-01T17:11:00.006-04:00

As most of you know, I left CNET Networks in April after almost 9 years. Although the initial plan was to raise money for our startup, a job opportunity presented itself recently that is just too good for me to pass up.

I am about to accept an offer from a Fortune 150 company based in Columbus, OH. I will be responsible for leading the company's social media initiatives.

Having met with the team last month, it was really refreshing to see such a large company embracing social media and recognizing that it will be key to their future marketing efforts. Plus, they've got a *really* talented web team with whom I'll be working. I am really excited to take on this challenge.

Of course, this will require us to relocate to Columbus, OH by the end of July. That will definitely be the toughest part of accepting the position. We have family and a terrific groups of friends here that we'll definitely miss. The good thing is that Columbus is only 200 miles from Louisville, so we'll be able to return often.

BTW, I will share the name of the company and my title once I have officially accepted the offer and things are made public.

For now, call any friends or family members in the Columbus area and warn them that the Mortons are coming to town :)

Louisville Geek Dinner v.0.5 tonight

2008-06-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a quick reminder that the Louisville Geek Dinner is tonight at 6PM at BBC on Shelbyville Road.

The Geek Dinner is always a good time. The last event drew nearly 100 people. So if you're into technology or are just a geek, dork, nerd, dweeb or weirdo, stop by. This guy is buying the first round.

BTW, you can RSVP by either editing the Louisville Geek Dinner wiki (doesn't get much more geek than a wiki) or visiting the Facebook page.

Podcamp Ohio 2008 recap

2008-06-29T10:38:00.015-04:00

I made the 3-hour drive for Podcamp Ohio in Columbus yesterday . I had attended Podcamp Nashville back in February and enjoyed the networking and sharing that took place (if not the content).

Photo courtesy of cmcbrown on Flickr

The Columbus event had 5 time slots with 4-5 sessions per time slot. Topics skewed heavily toward podcasting obviously; however, there were plenty of other sessions geared toward non-podcasters like myself.

I attended four really strong sessions: Daniel Johnson Jr.'s "Managing Multiple Online Identities," Michelle Lentz's "The Power of Twitter," Luke Armour and Paull Young's "What NOT to Do in Podcasting and Social Networking" and Bill Balderaz's "Podcasting, Blogging and Social Networking Marketing."

This is the first event I've attended in a very long time where I can say I took away something from each session. Plus, Profilactic got a couple of shout outs by Daniel Johnston Jr. and Michelle Lentz, so that was a bonus.

The event was hosted at ITT Tech in Hilliard and lunch was provided by Qdoba. There was also a swag bag with a Podcamp Ohio t-shirt, Harry London chocolates, TechSmith demo software and Podcamp Ohio and viddler stickers. They also gave away prizes including full versions of TechSmith's Snag-It and Camtasia Studio.

I saw lots of familiar faces from previous social media events including Daniel Johnson Jr., Michelle Lentz, Doug Petch, Nathan Ketsdever, Mitch Canter, Robin Maiden, Andrew Paradies, Krista Neher and Steve Gerl.

Also got to meet a lot of new people as well including Chris Abraham, Greg Schwartz, Andrea Hill, Rob Rutkowski, Billy Fairchild and many more.

At the end of the day, a lot of the attendees headed over to Dave & Busters next door to grab some dinner. The timing worked out perfectly for me as I was trying to wait until severe weather moved out of the area for the drive home.

Unfortunately, I was just too tired to stop in Cincinnati for the Photrade launch party. Would have loved to checked that out. I ended up getting home around 10:30p completely wiped out; however, it was definitely worth the drive.

Thanks to Angelo Mandato and the rest of the organizers and volunteers.

You can see photos from the event on Flickr under the tag "podcampohio" and you can see what attendees Twittered about the event on Summize.

Great session this morning at Social Media Bootcamp

2008-06-26T13:44:00.002-04:00

We had a really good turnout and very interesting discussion at the IABC's Social Media Bootcamp this morning. There were about 30 people there (even though attendance was capped at 25).

Jason Falls, Aaron Marshall, Nick Huhn, Michelle Jones and I were the panelists. We covered everything from Twitter 101 to RSS 101 to corporate blogging strategy to how to engage your customers when your organization isn't ready to embrace social media.

I streamed Jason's presentation live with QIK on my Moto Q9h. We actually had a pretty lively discussion going on online during the stream on QIK.

We plan to do other sessions like this in the future. If you have an organization in the Louisville area that would like a hands-on bootcamp on social media, let me (or any other of the panelists) know.

On the Social Media Bootcamp panel tomorrow

2008-06-25T11:48:00.007-04:00

Along with some of my Social Media Club colleagues (Jason Falls, Michelle Jones, Aaron Marshall), I will be participating in the International Association of Business Communicators' (IABC) Social Media Bootcamp tomorrow morning at the Louisville campus of Webster University.

The bootcamp is designed to give attendees a basic, hands-on overview of social media tools and techniques such as blogging, RSS, Twitter, wikis, etc.

The event is open to the public ($45 for IABC members, $55 for non-members); however, attendance is being capped at 25 so we can get everyone involved.

I will, most likely, be streaming the event live on QIK for those who can't attend. Check out http://www.qik.com/smorty71 at around 8:30am tomorrow to catch it.

Four upcoming events I'm attending

2008-06-16T20:34:00.005-04:00

There are a handful of web and social media events between now and the end of June that I'll be attending. Want to mention them so that we can maybe get a few more people there.

Social Media Club of Louisville, June 17th
The June meeting of SMC will be held at Fox and Hound Pub & Grille (which was the location of our badass Twitter meetup last week). No panels or topics this time, just networking and socializing.

Forge Louisville web meetup, June 19th
The June meeting of Forge Louisville's web subgroup will be held at Jenicca's. I'm hoping there is a better turnout for this month's event. May was a real snoozer. Otherwise, this one will definitely drop off my calendar for July.

Podcamp Ohio, June 28th, Columbus, OH
This one will be a little bit of a commute for most people in Louisville; however, Todd Earwood and I are making the trip over to Columbus next Saturday. We did the same for Podcamp Nashville earlier this year and it was a great way to meet social media professionals from other markets. Plus, there are several people I know from Cincinnati attending, so it will be a good opportunity to catch up with them.

In addition to podcasting, there will be sessions on Twitter, blogging and lifestreaming/social media aggregation.

Louisville Geek Dinner v.0.5, June 30th
Ben Thomas is hosting the 5th Louisville Geek Dinner at Bluegrass Brewing Company on Shelbyville Road. Will be interesting to see if we can fit everyone in since the last one had almost 100 people. Ben has a wiki (can't have a geek gathering without a wiki) so that you can RSVP there.

For those that can't attend, I will take plenty of photos and even shoot a few QIK videos.

Louisville Tweetup #1 recap

2008-06-13T12:44:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned previously, Todd Earwood and I organized a Louisville Twitter meetup to get some of the 602 Twitter users in the Louisville area together.

Photo by Aaron Marshall

The event far exceeded our expectations with almost 50 Tweeple showing up to have a few drinks, meet some new people and get lots of free swag.

I posted a full recap on the Let's Tweetup site. You can also see photos from the event on Flickr.

Louisville Tweetup tonight

2008-06-12T12:05:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to post a reminder about the first Louisville Tweetup tonight. Todd Earwood and I were able to line up a handful of sponsors including Lijit, Mixx, TubeMogul, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Louisville Mojo and the Louisville Film Society to provide some great swag.

So if you're in Louisville and you're using Twitter, stop by the Fox & Hound Pub and Grille at 6PM tonight. It should be a good time.

More info at http://letstweetup.com.

BTW, despite what @earwood has been telling everyone, I will NOT be buying drinks for the first 71 people through the door.

Picked up a new digital camera this weekend

2008-06-08T21:34:00.008-04:00

Last Christmas, I bought Amy a Canon A540 digital camera. Some time in the past couple of weeks, the camera was lost (with a nice 2GB SD card inside). We searched everywhere in the house, but couldn't find it. We even offered the kids a $10 reward if they found it. Nothing.

With some trips coming up and with Maddox doing so many things for the first time, I figured it was time to grab a new one.

My criteria were:

1. At least 8 megapixels
2. Very small
3. Very inexpensive
4. Good reviews
5. Could be purchased locally

I basically wanted something that takes decent photos, can fit in my pocket and could be cheaply replaced if it were lost like the Canon. Plus, I needed it next week for a trip to Columbus and the Twitter meetup, so I couldn't buy online. Figured it would be a tall order , but it was worth a shot.

After a couple hours of research and a trip to Circuit City, I ended up getting the Samsung L200. It is an ultra-compact, 10 megapixel with a 3x optical zoom. I didn't have the Samsung on my short list of cameras when I entered the store; however, it had more features, higher resolution and a much more intuitive UI than the others I was looking at.

Samsung L200 through the lens of our ancient Kodak 3MP camera

Samsung L200 next to my Moto Q9h

The best part was that I got it for $127 by pricematching to Best Buy plus Circuit City threw in a $100 Epson photo printer. And, to top it off, I've got 30 days to try it out with Circuit City's ridiculously flexible return policy.

So far, I am very pleased with it. To my totally untrained eye, it takes great photos out of the box. It's also got a ton of manual settings that I haven't begun to explore yet.

Sample photo taken with the L200

Playing in my first Guitar Hero tournament

2008-06-05T13:21:00.003-04:00

I signed up for my first Guitar Hero III online tournament last week. Beginning tonight at 8PM, I will need to play 4 songs on Hard difficulty: The Metal, Knights of Cydonia, Cult of Personality and Same Old Song and Dance. My best cumulative score will be used to determine if I make it to the next round.

Currently, there are 541 registrants and only 25 make it to the next round.

In the second round, each contestant plays the same 4 songs on Expert difficulty. The top 4 scorers get to go to San Francisco to compete for the title of biggest dork on the planet (or something like that). You will also get a chance to play the new Guitar Hero: Aeromsith game before it is released in stores.

I'll post an update once my scores are in.

I hate getting my oil changed

2008-06-05T12:03:00.005-04:00

There are few things in life that I dislike more than having my oil changed. I don't have the tools and equipment (or the desire) to change it myself, so I usually just take it to my local Valvoline store since I can be in and out pretty quickly.

Fortunately, I don't put too many miles on my car, so I only get the oil changed 2-3 times per year. Unfortunately, today was one of those 2 or 3 time per year.

The thing I hate so much about Valvoline (and other drive-thru oil change places) are all of the upsells for filters and oil additives and wiper blades and other things that I don't need. I just want my oil changed.

As I pulled into Valvoline this morning, I noticed that they now have a $24.99 Early Bird Special for customers between 7-10am. Last time, I paid over $40. Figured this might be cheaper and less-painful than usual.

I was wrong.

Before they got started on my car, they said, "Oh, you're not going to be able to get the special because your car requires synthetic oil." I asked why and they explained that because it was a European car and because it was a turbo that the engine would be permanently damaged if I didn't use synthetic. They said I would need to sign something saying they weren't liable for that damage if I wanted to use conventional oil. The price for the synthetic oil change? $60.

I quickly pointed out that I had had my oil changed at this Valvoline location at least 6 times, which they verified in their computer, and they never used or suggested synthetic. So if what they were saying were true, then Valvoline would already be liable for any damage done to my engine.

Suddenly, conventional oil was OK and the oil change got underway.

Once I got back home, I decided to call my VW dealer to find out the truth. According to Roy in the Service Dept. at Bachman Volkswagen, my engine can use either conventional or synthetic oil and that no damage would result from it. He said a lot of mechanics and oil change places don't like to deal with VW's because they can easily damage the oil pan if they aren't careful.

I would rather see companies like Valvoline be upfront and say that they won't change the oil on my car, like Wal-mart does, than lie to me about upgrades that I don't need. Be honest and I will respect you a whole lot more than if you lie to me.

Now, I've got 3,000 miles to find somewhere else to get an oil change. Any suggestions?

Organizing a Twitter meetup in Louisville

2008-06-04T09:54:00.014-04:00

Tod(d) Earwood and I are organizing a Louisville Twitter meetup (or a "tweetup") on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 6PM at Fox & Hound Pub and Grille.

Why would we organize a tweetup (my wife mockingly asked me the same question, so I figured you might ask, too)? It turns out there are a lot of people using Twitter in the metro area. We wanted to give everyone a chance to get-together for networking/beer drinking in person.

Instead of being just a random meetup, we're adding a little flair (you can never have too much) to this one. We've reached out to a handful of our friends at other web startups to get door prizes and giveaways, so expect cool swag from Lijit, Mixx, Louisville Mojo, Profilactic (I love that site!), TubeMogul and UStream. We'll also be streaming it live on Ustream with our dashing host/emcee Joe Bennett (see Joe in action here).

We've registered a domain, grabbed a Twitter name and set up a very basic website describing the event and listing our sponsors. Now all we need to do is convince everyone to show up.

If you're in the Louisville metro area and you're using Twitter, simply DM @letstweetup to let us know you're coming. Or you can RSVP from our listing on upcoming.

I'm talking to you, @jasonfalls, @nickhuhn, @melissaking, @michellej, @jaygarmon, @robmay, @jackbr4, @churchSMO, @nikkikey, @joebennett, @andyswan, @safetyguy1656, @nowsourcing, @timbarrett, @mark_w_kaelin, @jerang, @bryanpeabody, @tb, @gbullard, @erikeckel, @twinkie, @tlosbo, @ericroland, and @brianherbert.

For more info, check out this video invitation from Todd Earwood. It's good stuff.