OrlandoNext

Signs of life in Orlando's Tech Scene

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:35:00 +0000

Voxeo, an Orlando firm that works in VOIP and mobile internet technology area, is reportedly ready to expand their presence in Central Florida. That's a good sign for the Orlando Tech Scene which has been understandably a bit stagnant during the recession. The Orlando Sentinel and Tech Crunch both covered the deal.

WordCamp Orlando December 5th 2009

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:58:00 +0000

WordCamp Orlando is rolling up in less than a month. For just $15 you get a master's course in furthering your business, blog, or CMS website using the wordpress software.

My personal blogs are evenly split between Blogger and Wordpress (self-hosted). I'll be using what I learn at WordCamp Orlando to move this blog over to Wordpress and to set up a few websites using Wordpress as a CMS.

If anyone wants to ask about my experiences moving The Disney Blog from Typepad to Wordpress or my experience with BBpress for The Disney Blog's Townsquare forums, I'm happy to chat.

See you on the 15th, meanwhile be sure to follow WordCamp Orlando on twitter.

Twitter rolls out new ReTweet feature(?)

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:24:00 +0000

There has been a lot of angst in the Twitter community about the new retweet feature ever since Twitter rolled out the specs to its developer community. Many people didn't even see the need for a feature that can be so easily subverted. But Twitter obviously saw a demand for verifiable retweets.

This brings us to today when Twitter in their fallible wisdom decided to make me (specifically the @TheDisneyBlog account) an early adopter. I wonder if I got this honor because I previously spoke out against the idea.

In any event, here are a few screen shots of how it all works.

This is what you see when you log in after you've been selected to use the new feature.

When you rest your cursor over the Retweet link or icon this bubble now pops up.

The other thing that has been added is a new 'Retweet' option in the right column

Clicking it takes you to a new page with three tabs. Retweets by others appears to be popular retweets from other users that you may or may not be following. Retweets by you is self-explanatory. As is, I assume, Your tweets, retweeted.

I did notice that one of the retweets I tried appeared in my tweetstream, while the other one didn't. Not sure if that is a feature or a bug.

Now that I've tried the feature, I want to take back my earlier comments. I like it. You can take it or leave it as a user; but if you do use it, I think it will become immensely powerful for finding new people to follow as well as knowing what you're reading is an authentic retweet. If you have to comment on a person's tweet, you can still retweet the old fashioned way, excerpt it, shorten it, whatever.

One shortcoming I see is that like lists this takes the user off the main page of twitter into a new page. So they're missing out on the primary stream while these secondary streams run past them. It would be nice if there was some way it could all track on one page. But I suspect some developer will figure that out shortly.

I suspect this is going to kick up the volume of retweets as authenticity will add to their currency. Someone who is retweeted a lot will gain more followers even faster. And your original content, if worthy, can travel a lot farther via the Retweets by others tab.

Strategies for Continuing Your Education

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:09:00 +0000

If there is one thing that's true about the modern day workforce, its that technology is changing so fast that you have to be continually learning to keep up with it. This is not so much a strategy for what to do while one is between jobs, although it definitely applies, as it is a life strategy. The traditional strategy for this has been to enroll in classes and attend conferences where new products and visions are discussed. But what do you do if you can't afford to enroll in those expensive seminars (which are probably teaching last year's skills anyway) or travel to that hot conference? Welcome to the world of GoogleU.

These days, I meet more young people, those who are high school or college age, who tell me for some subjects they never even crack open their text books. Instead they do most of their learning online. If they can do it so can you.

For instance, I'm working on my PHP skills in order to be a better Wordpress blogger. A quick search on Google almost always finds me the answer I need. If not, there is likely a forum with a helpful soul, or even better, someone who has already asked the same question. This is how I learned CSS as well. Call it situational learning.

The other big segment in online learning is video/presentation recordings. If you're taking art history at Podunk University, shouldn't you also be watching the Harvard Art History Professor's lectures on the same thing online? You can, and they're free. Checkout Education Portal as a great starting point to find more lectures.

Can't make it to that important industry conference? There's a good chance that someone either live blogged the session you're interested, a video of it was posted on YouTube or Vimeo, the slides are on slideshare, the author posted their notes on their blog, or even all over the above. I've been taking a crash course on Affiliate Marketing and found some great lectures from a conference I didn't even know existed two weeks ago. Now, I'm much more likely to attend in person in the future if I find work as an affiliate manager.

So what are the take aways here? If you're not yet in the workforce, the most important thing you can learn is how to learn. This will set you up for a lifetime of continued learning as the world changes around you. If you are in the work force, maybe you can talk your boss into devoting a few hours a week to this sort of virtual learning. If not, it's quite simple to do at home. If you're between jobs, devote some time each week to keeping up with the skills you use in your career, and learn as much about that job you are interviewing for, sometimes based on lectures from the very company you're hiring into.

Chris Brogan offers free ebook on using Social Media to find a job

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Chris Brogan has put together a 19 page pamphlet, to borrow a revolutionary era term, on using Social Media to find a job. Which is a lot of what I've been discussing around here recently. I respect Chris and he's definitely someone who walks the talk. So I thought I'd take a look.

The first portion of the booklet focuses on LinkedIn, a tool I discussed previously. Chris is concerned more with the strategy of using LinkedIn for networking. That is definitely one of LinkedIn's many strengths. He also makes the very interesting point that the work experience section of your LinkedIn profile does not necessarily have to match that of your resume. Instead, you could craft it to focus on the skills, achievements, and experiences that will take you to that position you're searching for.

The second section goes into even more strategy on how to form a modern social network that you can then apply to your job search. He suggests building a small, but powerful, network focused on helping you achieve your goals, while you help others achieve theirs. To me this is the essence of social media, removing mediation between goals and just helping each other achieve them. Whether your goal is pushing for adoption of solar panels or finding a new position, the networking skills are the same.

There's plenty more to chew on and great actions you can take immediately to help in your job search in the rest of the ebook. I hope you'll go check it out.

LinkedIn - Tools for the Social Media Job Search

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:25:00 +0000

If your job involves connecting with other professionals or businesses, then you're probably already using LinkedIn to help manage your professional network. If not, there's no time like the present. LinkedIn is the ultimate social networking tool for professionals.

Since networking is one of the most important elements of any job search, it therefore follows that LinkedIn is a tremendous job searching tool as well. It allows you to see profiles of anyone else on LinkedIn, and gives you ways to connect with them. If you'd like to join my network, you can view my profile here.

Set up your profile then reach out via all channels (twitter, your blog, import email contacts, etc). Once you're connected to the people you know, you can then ask them to introduce you to others in their network. That's a powerful tool if that job opening is at a company in your network.

Other ways to use LinkedIn in your job search:

Job Postings - The most obvious way to use LinkedIn is to search their job openings. LinkedIn has its own postings, most of which are usually high quality, professional jobs. Then it also allows you to expand your search into SimplyHired's aggregated search results. Tip: use LinkedIn's advanced search function to do a zip code radius search.

Company Search - You can use LinkedIn to do research on a company you are interested in. Search for the company, and find people you know who are connected to other who work at the company. Then ask your personal contact to connect you.

Email - Use LinkedIn's email system to keep your network informed of your job search status. Send an email with links to your profile, personal website, portfolio, etc to your network when you're first laid off. Ask them for help or people they could put you in touch with. This has resulted in good leads for me.

Applications - A relatively new feature in LinkedIn is the ability to add 'widgets' or applications to your profile. Have a presentation on Google Documents or Slideshare? Add that. Use the Box.net application to post example documents or white-papers that would aid in showing your expertise.

Blog Link - One of the more powerful aplications on LinkedIn provies the ability to link your blog posts to your profile. Every time you post a new blog post, it will update on your profile. This is a great way to showcase your expertise.

Answers - If you have experience in an area, there are likely others on LinkedIn who can benefit from it. Answers let's you ask and answer questions to help others. Another great way to showcase your expertise.

Groups - Last but not least, is Groups. Join some active groups that relate to your career and industry. Even better, join inactive groups and make them active again with your contribution. There are also regional groups that will allow you to keep an eye on events and networking opportunities in your area.

Tags: linkedin, social+media, socialmedia, job, career, resume, online+cv, job+search, social+networking

So you want a Social Media job?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Jeramiah Owyang is a business analyst with a strong grip on what it takes to make online marketing work for your company or brand. Last month he wrote about three essential qualities any candidate for a corporate social media position must have to be seriously considered.

1) Fulfill Meaningful Business Objectives
2) Bridge Both Internal Stakeholders and Customers
3) Show Credibility With The Technology

In truth, these are common sense realities. In the modern economy a company can't afford to carry a position unless it's contributing to the business objectives. Companies are becoming more and more dis-intermediated, in part because the way social media is changing internal and external communications, that's an opportunity for someone able to be the connection point. Finally, the proof is always in the pudding. You must be able to produce measurable results from predetermined objectives and strategies. Set goals and achieve them.

In short, you can't be web 2.0 unless you understand Business 101.

These are the modern day business rules and social media is no exception. If you're a job applicant, you need to be prepared to talk about how your skills and experience help you meet those essential qualities.

If I could, I'd like to add a fourth point to Jeremiah's excellent summary. You must exhibit trust and authenticity. Those are your currency online. The dis-intermediation of markets means that more than ever it will be human beings dealing with human beings. Your online reputation plays a large role in how effective you are in the new market. What you've done in the past will affect how people view you in the present.

Tags: social+media, socialmedia, web+marketing, online+marketing, career, job, job+search, internet, web2.0,

Social Media Cover Letter

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:33:00 +0000

When I was blogging about resumes and job searches back in 2005, I envisioned the perfect cover letter as a sandwich. The opening and closing remained the same, but what goes in the middle depends on what type of details you think will land you the job. I think most of that advice still holds up today.

Since 2005, a whole new world of Social Networking has arisen. Do you include your Social Media Network profile in your resume or cover letter? If so, how?

The answer, of course, is "it depends." If being a capable internet user is important to the job, then yes. But if your online example would be a distraction to the job, then you'll probably want to leave it off. In any event, you should scrub your virtual foot print as best you can when you're looking for a job, but that's another post.

Your cover letter is still your sales piece and a chance to use those 10-20 seconds a human resources person will use to direct you into a pile. You want to be in the 'look at further' pile. In 20 seconds, or even a minute or two, the HR person isn't going to check your entire online footprint. But they may be interested in your virtual CV, especially if you're sending your resume and cover letter via email.

LinkedIn is a great place to host your virtual CV and do some networking. But you can also use other services, such as Emurse (which includes some neat features like the virtual job interview), or set up a stand alone CV on your own domain.

I would probably include a link to my virtual CV either in the final paragraph or after the accomplishments list that reads something like "You can learn more about how my skills and accomplishments will help me make an immediate impact in this position at my LinkedIn page - http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsfrost "

A full Social Media Cover Letter could get really involved. Links to portfolio projects, work samples from previous jobs, and a video introduction. But don't let that distract from the cover letter's primary purpose, to quickly put your resume in context to the companies need to fill a position and as an introduction to your resume.

Who to follow on Twitter while between jobs

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:30:00 +0000

One of the very first things I did after learning my position had been eliminated was to set up a slew of RSS feeds to direct as many job openings to my attention as possible. In the past that would have meant hitting the big search engines and some company websites. But now you can get much of that by following accounts on twitter.

I used Twitter Search to find jobs near me. By searching for ["city/metro name" job OR jobs OR hiring] (in my case [Orlando job OR jobs OR hiring], I get dozens of leads every day. To direct that to my RSS reader of choice, I copied the RSS feed link from the upper right corner. TwitterJobSearch.com and TweetMyJobs.com does some of this automatically, but I found that rolling my own solution worked just as well.

I also followed specific accounts that consistently give good leads in my region. Using Brizzly, Tweetdeck, or similar tool (and soon Twitter itself) you can organize these into lists or groups. So you just have to check on that tab to get the latest jobs.

This morning I found that TweepML has collected a list of the companies who use twitter to recruit. Using the tools on this page you can select the companies you want to follow and add them all at once.

Finally visit this post from Mashable for some more great suggestions. I hope you'll find Twitter as valuable a tool as I have during my job search.

Money where my mouth is....

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:24:00 +0000

My position managing online giving and the CRM database at an Orlando area non-profit was just eliminated in a series of budget cuts and now I'm looking for work. I've been using social networking with my personal blogging for years; plus I lobbied hard to get the company involved in Social Media. It's time to put my money where my mouth is and use those skills to find myself a new position.

Early in my career I worked at a placement firm that specialized in human resources professionals. I learned a lot about what it takes to craft a great cover letter and resume. I learned what you need to do before, during, and after your job interview. Those lessons have served me well each time I needed to find a new position. I even wrote down much of my collected knowledge over at Resume Upgrade. That blog has been in hibernation off and on for the last few years, but I hope it's still a great resource for those who visit it.

Yes, the tried and true methods are still important, crucial even. But using social networking can provide a new path for the job searcher. Back in 2008 when layoffs from the recession were just getting underway, Robert Scoble wrote this post about how the new job search works. I've thought often about Robert's advice, hoping I'd never have to use it. But now I'm revisiting it and taking it to heart.

I have been working my social media network and wanted to share what I've learned and what I've found while doing my research. Look for that here.

In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you connected with me on LinkedIn and viewed my resume from eMurse. These are important steps for anyone doing a job search today.

Tags: resume, career, job+hunt, social+media, social+networking, career+networking, how-to, blog

Florida High Speed Rail Authority to Reconvene

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:25:00 +0000

Now that President Obama has signed a stimulus package that includes about $8 billion in funding for high speed rail, it looks like the dormant Florida High Speed Rail Authority will reconvene for the first time since 2005. They're actually having a meeting on February 26th at the Orlando International Airport. Alas it's during business hours, so I can't attend.

The proposed Orlando to Tampa route has a lot going for it as most of the advanced planning is done including environmental studies and station locations. Plus it could bolster one of the last strong economies the US has going for it right now, tourism.

Even if we don't get a large enough portion to build a bullet train or (real) high speed rail line with this package, It's clear that the President's priorities include finding more mass transit in the future. So it's a good idea to get the ball rolling again now. So let's hope Governor Crist gets down on his high horse and does what's right for Florida.

Disney World's Meg Crofton supports SunRail

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:18:00 +0000

I wrote about Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton's Orlando Sentinel Editorial on The Disney Blog yesterday. Needless to say, I'm in support of getting SunRail, Central Florida's commuter rail system, chugging along as soon as possible.

Please don't move your company to Florida!

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Nothing says please don't bring your company to Florida like knowing your employees children will be attending schools that can't even afford to hire substitute teachers and instead just puts the kids whose teachers called in sick in a holding pen in an old gym. That's exactly the kind of place I want to move my company if I'm a CEO.

If that's not a crime, it should be. At the very least it's a failing of all the elected officials from the city and county level right up to the state and federal. Governor Crist has to do something about fixing the state's educational system ASAP or it will continue to drive away businesses from moving here and that will place a ceiling on future tax revenue.

Update: It gets even worse. Because Florida has so screwed up its educational funding, we're likely to miss out on receiving funds from the stimulus package. Awesome job by Governor Crist.

Pithy thought for the day

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Egg meet Chicken. Good content and social networking have to go hand in hand. There is no point in
doing one without the other.

Florida, Now Is Your Chance

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:28:00 +0000

Come on Florida. Now is your chance to step up to the teller window and get your ticket punched for state wide mass transit. Possibly a bullet train, but certianly a high speed train. We hear that liability is an issue, but even the trial lawyers have gotten out of the way. Still, state legislators can't seem to figure out what every other state in the nation with light rail or subways already has. Hello? Pick up the bloody phone and call them.

The Website We Need - Change.gov

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:26:00 +0000

This is what responsible government looks like in the social media world.

Change.gov opened today. They're accepting stories and ideas. I'm thinking of telling them the story of Central Florida. What would be your focal point?

How to get the nerd vote

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:19:00 +0000

Matt Haughey writes out his list of policy wishes for how to get his nerd vote. For instance:

Broadband Everywhere. I want crazy South Korea/Japan style broadband I've heard about for years: 100Mbps (upload and download) fiber connections for less than $50/month with unlimited bandwidth and the ability to run your own servers. I know the US is a big spread out country and it makes this stuff somewhat difficult/costly, but it's an ambitious goal with a ton of payoff. We don't have manufacturing jobs in the US anymore: we don't make things, we don't build things, we don't sew things here, but we do have lots of ideas and inventions.

If you read carefully his list is also a blueprint on how to create a community that will attract creative people, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to your city. Some things Orlando should be looking at.

A few things I would add to the list:

Mass Transit and encouraging urban design that promotes its use.
Investment in Green Technology and training for jobs in that industry.
Privacy laws that reflect today's new reality.
Reform the Department of Homeland Security and do away with security theater.

Tags: politics, election+2008, nerd+vote, orlando

CoLab Orlando website opens

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:44:00 +0000

CoLab Orlando, the regions first coworking (wikipedia) space, has relaunched its website and now includes pricing and a growing list of features. Pricing seems very reasonable to me with a permanent space available for just $250 a month. If you want to go one day a week it will cost you just over $70 a month. To join for just one day is $25.

For that you get access to the internet, copier, scanner, and fax. Plus you get the chance to network with other members of Orlando growing creative and technology class in a prime downtown location. CoLab opens November 1st.

Visit the CoLab Orlando website to learn more.

Scott Joseph has a Food Blog

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:49:00 +0000

Scott Joseph, once the food writer and reviewer for the Orlando Sentinel, now has his own blog, which he calls a Food Log or FLOG, where he writes about food in the Central Florida area. I'm so happy to have found this since I have missed not having his column appear in the Sentinel.

In many ways the FLOG is a lot like his articles before. He continues to do reviews, keep tabs on changes in the restaurant marketplace, answer questions from local diners, and write about EPCOT's Food & Wine festival. The writing is sometimes not as tight and he needs to take more care in formatting his posts. But all in all it's a great find and any Orlando resident would do good to add it to their feeds.

Still no picture of Scott for those wondering.

Tags: orlando, food, flog, epcot, sentinel, foodie

BlogOrlando Wrapup Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:49:00 +0000

I had a great time at this year's BlogOrlando. My own personal contribution was being the host for the group at Disney's Animal Kingdom on Sunday. It was a blast and I enjoyed meeting everyone who joined up. While I'm doseing out the fun facts about Disney, I always learn so much from each attendee as well. For those of you who couldn't make it, you missed out on lots of great trivia about the park, some thrilling attractions, and many great animal experiences.

What I took away from this years event, besides dozens of handy hacks I'll be implementing in my personal life and various social media efforts, was the growing strength of the Central Florida tech community. I made some great connections and look forward to helping grow the community is any number of ways over the coming year. The way things are now, if we all stick together, we'll come out of this okay. Fractured, our power is much less.

Some pretty amazing comments from others who attended the BlogOrlando conference this year.

BlogOrlando is one of the top two conferences I've been to. For me it is up there with mesh conference (an Edelman client, but an amazing conference none-the-less). Amazing people who are working in this space I call mine and not just talking about working in the space. A weekend with my peers, great energy from central Florida and some time to relax. It was a much needed break. - Leah Jones

Leah's actually from Chicago. Which is an interesting point. I wonder how many attendees weren't from the Central Florida area.

I’ve never been to a free conference before. And the difference of engagement levels between a free conference and a fee-based one is night and day. I guess it might be because everybody that’s there WANTS to be there. They CHOSE to go. They CHOSE to give up a Saturday and engage other passionate people. I’m afraid most conferences I go to are full of people that have been sent there from their company. They’d rather be checking emails or anywhere else. But it’s part of their job description or a requirement. The result is sometimes a very low engagement level.

BlogOrlando was the exact opposite. - Spike Jones from Brains on Fire

Can't agree with your more Spike. I attended Geno Church's session on Movements and Social Media and can attest that both Spike and Geno have that passion too.

Others who've written up comments from the sessions they led or attended are Sarah In Tampa, Dustin Mooney, Tim at FML, Rob Williams, Chris Thilk, R. Alexander, Amber Rhea (be sure to read her liveblog of the "Online Identity" session), Alex de Carvalho, Nancy N., Benet, and Jennifer. Jennifer went to BlogOrlando and ended up writing about butterflies. There's a metaphor in that somewhere.

And of course, there are the organizer's thoughts. Josh Hallett has pulled this together three years running. I hope there is a fourth and fifth year. Josh has the contacts to pull the event together, but he relies on volunteer help to do some of the work. Let's give them all a big hand and next year consider contributing some time of your own.

Why We Blog

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:05:00 +0000

At BlogOrlando the closing session was Erik Hersman speaking about why we blog. His Afrigadget and WhiteAfrican sites were just the start of his social media experiment (see previous post). Glenda Watson Hyatt wasn't at BlogOrlando, she chose BlogWorld instead, but her video on why she blogs is as powerful as any I've ever seen.

The Future

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:28:00 +0000

I have a bit of a futurist streak in me. So I can identify with this video. The visuals were compiled by Cordt Holland and the music is by Todd Rundgren titled "Future".

"The Future is already here. It's just unevenly distributed"
- William Gibson

BlogOrlando 3 through other people's eyes

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:42:00 +0000

While I did liveblog the sessions I attended, there were five seperate tracks, which meant there was more amazing material to absorb than one could possibly attended. Thankfully others have been blogging the sessions they attended. I'll try and collect as many of them as I can here.

FunkeeMonkeeLand blogged first about the morning sessions he attended ( Jake McKee's Keynote, Raising Digital Children, Wordpress Advanced, and Wordpress Themes ) in one post then all the afternoon sessions he attended (Going Beyond Google, New New Media, Traditional Media and the Web, and The Orlando Scene ) in a second post.

Why We Blog by Erik Hersman; BlogOrlando closing session

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Erik Hersman is the White African. He does good everyday, has spoken at TED conference, and had a website chosen as one of the 50 most important by (Time?). His session Why We Blog at BlogOrlando will end the day. Erik writes two blogs - AfriGadget and White African. He helped start Ushahidi in Kenya to help with crowdsourcing crisis information around the Kenya election.

A blog is a tool, but you can't teach passion and inner drive. The blogger has to have that themselves. Aysmptotic Growth. Blogs in your niche will grow faster than your blog (I know that). Erik's blogging rules: Committment to blogging, quality posts, and consistent over time. But because of the nature of social media you will have a smaller and smaller slice of the pie.

So why do we blog, because we CARE about something. When you have passion about something you can make a difference.

Afrigadget is a group blog who tell stories and interview people around Africa about technology and gadgets in Africa. It was one of the 50 best blogs of 2008 according to Time Magazine. People profiled usually get more business or connections from the publicity.

The Orlando Scene with Ryan Price & Alex Rudloff

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:51:00 +0000

And now I find myself in the The Orlando Scene session (part deux). Last year was a great session, if a bit cheerleader. In the last 12 months so many things have changed and grown and now we have another time for a War Room.

Ryan Price and Alex Rudloff are hosting the conspiracy planning and were off. Ryan's talking about his history with finding and growing an Orlando Community.

Alex Hillman "you know the charge you're getting from BlogOrlando. Imagine working in that environment everyday all day. That's CoWorking" (paraphrased). Sounds like a place I would like to work in. Plus more motivational stuff from Alex. In short, just get started doing stuff. There's a group out there that will support you

The Orlando Scene:
(this will grow, and I'll add links as time goes on)
Florida Creatives - Wiki / Orlando Section is killer.
BarCamp Orlando / BarCamp Chaos (Maker Ethos) / BarCamp Tampa
Orlando Likemind
ORUG - Orlando Ruby Users Group
Doterati
BlogOrlando
IgniteOrlando

Digital Media Alliance Florida (DMAFlorida.org) 501.c.6 Nonprofit Lobby Group
CoLab - downtown space.
CoWorking Orlando Group (StarDust on Tuesdays, Google Group)

Other resources
UCF Incubator
Disney Entrepreneur Center
The Knowledge Shop (Casselberry)

Please email me if you can add anything else to this list.