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Journalists lead interesting lives, their work takes them to unique places even in the local setting. This is a life that most of us will never know beyond what we see on the news and in the papers.

However, I have found that technology allows us to dig a bit deeper and have a stronger experience than traditional media. Consider this scenario:

Last week dynamIt was interviewed about StartUp Weekend Columbus, which was held over the weekend at TechColumbus. We were talking rather informally with the reporter and the camera man while they setup in our office. We developed a good rapport with the camera man and so I began following him on Twitter (@AndYL_WCMH).

Andy is an avid Twitter user and often tweets (to use the parlance of our times) from his mobile phone while on the job. For example, the day after the dynamIt interview, Andy was down in Cincinnati to shoot an interview with presidential hopeful John McCain. Twitter received periodic updates of the trip, including a few camera phone pics.

Meanwhile, back in the office, I was following along via Twitter, and I could not help but feel almost as if I were there standing right next to Andy as he was at work. When I watched this story on the news I recalled the behind-the-scenes story told by Andy via Twitter. I was captivated by this story because I knew how it came about. I got so much more out of a simple news program because it was supported by web and mobile technology.

Better late than never right? Yes, Startup Drinks Columbus was last Wednesday night, but I’ve been meaning to post about it and damnit, I’m going to.

The event took place at Surly Girl Saloon in the Short North. Bobby and I both went and had a great time. Didn’t really know what to expect heading in, other than things to do with startups, right? The night brought some good beer(I had a Harpoon UFO - reminded me of being out in Providence with my sister - and a couple of Eliot Nesses), some great conversation, some faces to put with names and twitter handles and some new acquaintances. Many of the people there will also be attending Startup Weekend Columbus July 18-20 (which dynamIt is sponsoring), but Startup Drinks aren’t only for SU Weekend goers. The idea is that people interested in startups, entrepreneurship and business conversation get together and interact. In attendance were individuals with ideas for startups, developers, designers, local journalists and media people, marketing types, business types, lawyers, consultants and people I didn’t get to talk to that do something really cool that I might not even know about. Chris Anderson of TechColumbus was there as well, which I think is important. While a big part of what TC does is facilitating funding for companies who have at least solidified an idea, the seeds for those ideas, I believe, are more prevalent here in Columbus that many people are aware.

I’m hoping that SU drinks continue to grow here in Columbus. While I’m not planning on a splinter company anytime soon (dynamIt was our startup!), the interaction with other designers, developers, creatives, marketers and entrepreneurial-minded people is stimulating. Needless to say, I don’t get enough of it in my life. While in school I knew and worked with many people heavily involved with the Miami University Page Center for Entrepreneurship. (I took a few classes, but could never engage as deeply as I would have liked because of this little thing called dynamIt). Little known fact - Ohio is home to 3 of the top 25 Entrepreneurship programs in the country.

*Note I’ve received word from Dr. Jay Kayne with the Page Center for Entrepreneurship at Miami University that the MU program will again be ranked in the top 25 undergraduate programs in the US out of over 700 schools. The official rankings come out in October in Entrepreneur Magazine

The energy, passion, creativity and cerebral environment surrounding startups in general has the ability to fuel everyday activities, work-tasks and life in general. It’s refreshing, especially the courage, and I think professionals bogged down in their day-to-day would benefit greatly from a night with some people who think differently.

Big thanks to Brian Jones of Jones Insight and Ashley Routson of Young Isaac/The Beer Wench for organizing the night.

A few other posts re: Startup Drinks Columbus -

• the270
  
• Greatest City of All
• wyliemac’s pics

one.

nick

What would happen if 100 or so like-minded professionals gathered for a weekend in pursuit of converting an idea to a reality? If you are interested in such an experiment, you may be interested in the series of programs known as Startup Weekends. Startup Weekends are 3 day events, seeking to compress processes that usually take months into a long, sleep-deprived weekend. By the end of Friday night, the group decides on an idea to pursue, with the ultimate goal of launching the idea by Sunday night. What happens in the next hours is a mess of excitement, frustration, victories and defeats. It’s quite a process, and it’s memorable to say the least.

Sometimes there is a clear, defined product that launches from the program, but sometimes not. What is most important about these weekends is not the product, but the benefits that such a program can contribute to the community. Startup Weekend is, and always will be, a community-driven experiment that expands and enhances connections. The program first started out in entrepreneurial-minded Boulder, Colorado, and has since taken place in over a dozen cities. I was lucky enough to participate in Bloomington, Indiana Startup Weekend.

How does all of this pertain to dynamIt? Well, Startup Weekend is coming to Columbus (July 18-20), and we are incredibly excited about it. So excited, in fact, that we are helping to sponsor the program by dedicating money and time towards the promotion and execution of the event. TechColumbus, an incredibly progressive and innovative group is at the front of the Columbus weekend, and we are honored to be in partnership with them to allow such a wonderful program to happen in the Capital City. (If you are interested in the tech community in Columbus, make sure to join TechColumbus for member events, programs, and networking).

There is still a limited amount of spaces open for the weekend, and you can register and learn more by visiting the Startup Weekend Columbus Blog. It’s being updated all the time with news and notes as the program nears closer. You can also engage by following the Startup Weekend Columbus Twitter.