Then I realized that there is plenty more to say on the subject — I didn’t really speak at all about the impact the Social Media Club has had on me both personally and professionally.

Let’s start with my professional life, just to get it out of the way — as if it can truly be separated from my personal life in today’s digital world. I have occasionally complained that founding and running the Social Media Club Boston has never landed me a client. But I need to qualify that statement. What I mean is that nobody has come up to me and said “Todd, I want you to help me with my PR/social media needs because you run the Social Media Club Boston.” In truth, however, I’m pretty sure my leadership was at least a factor in some decisions to work with me and my companies.

When I look long-term, however, I’m absolutely certain that I will get business from the connections I’ve made through social media. In fact, I’ll say it here: I know that my future success will come from the connections that I have made over the past five years thanks to social media — and the Social Media Club. Let me talk about just a few of those connections.

I’ll start with some of the incredibly smart folks that Tony Sapienza and Paula Slotkin hired at Topaz Partners (now part of Emanate) — folks who shared the journey down the twisting and turning path of social media with me.

• Doug Haslam has been my larger companion star in this voyage around the social media galaxy. I might’ve beat him to blogging, but he was the one who turned me onto Twitter, where he’s always had a significant lead on me. If there’s one person I can turn to for trends, insights, sanity checks, snarky comments and movie trivia, it’s Doug. Thanks, man — and thanks for lending a helping hand with the Social Media Club Boston over the years.
• Adam Zand taught me a lot about PR, advertising, friendship, Premier League Football, the joys of social media boondoggles and Utterli. We’ve shared car rides, plane trips, cubicle pods and a passion for good BBQ. One of the sharpest media relations guys I know, Adam was also there for our first Social Media Club Boston event. Thanks, Adam!
• Tim Allik was also there to present some of the award-winning work his team was doing for the Scuderi blog — work that John Cass (who was an outspoken attendee of our second event) challenged all of us on, as John is wont. Tim’s special blend of enthusiasm and healthy skepticism has kept me on my toes ever since! Thanks, Tim!
• Susan Koutalakis staffed the signup desk for that first event, and has lent a helping hand ever since, including having her company Mzinga sponsor a few of our better events over the years. Susan is another excellent media relations professional who taught me many lessons about how to work with journalists and how to use social media to keep both personal and professional relationships strong. Thank you, Susan!
• Alison Raymond sat right next to Susan at that first Social Media Club Boston event and eventually took over the social media practice when I moved on from Topaz before she herself finally moved on to Matter Communications. She — along with Adam and Doug and even occasionally Susan — were also co-hosts with me of PRobecast, the Topaz Partners podcast — which celebrated its 150th episode in March and which I hope Emanate keeps going. Thanks, Alison!

There were many other folks at Topaz who explored social media with me and helped with blogging and the Social Media Club, but this group formed my core. There were other folks who helped expand my knowledge in those early days…

• David Meerman Scott came to the Topaz Partners offices way back in 2004 with this crazy idea that he could make money writing, speaking and consulting on how PR and marketing are being changed by technology. By the end of that year he was already making it happen, and he hasn’t stopped. Now he’s a regular keynoter on the speaking circuit, and a regular resource for me and my Boston University students. He was an attendee at that first event — where he met Todd Defren for the first time! Thank you, David! (Maybe we can get you in to speak with my class in the fall, assuming BU invited me back?)
• Paul Gillin was another Topaz visitor in those early years, who came by to bounce a similar idea — how he planned to translate his deep, first-hand understanding of the media world into a consulting practice. Paul has been a guest speaker and active participant at many a Social Media Club Boston event. Paul is yet another required author for my BU students, who very much enjoyed his visit this year. While I don’t think Paul was at that first event (correct me if I’m wrong), he’s been with us for many more since then. I’m fortunate to be able to count him (and his family) among my friends. Thank you, sir!
• Scott Monty was another occasional visitor to Topaz, although I don’t remember us talking about social media during that visit — I think we chatted more about Sherlock Holmes at the time. Back before he moved to Detroit and assumed his role as a social media rockstar, he was trying to figure this social media stuff out like the rest of us, and was among the 120 attendees of that first event. Thanks for being a friend and companion on this part of my journey, and for keeping in touch with all your Boston friends even though you’re living in the 3-1-3 now!
• Todd Defren exemplifies modesty and transparency — he’s never been one to brag about himself and has been as honest as anyone could about the highs and lows of PR and social media. Todd, along with Steve Rubel, were the two guys who made me realize that Topaz Partners needed to be blogging. Todd was there for our inaugural event, and again as the guest of honor for our second event, just after he had released the Social Media Press Release. Todd, I know in my heart that I’ll always be Boston’s “other” social media Todd, but thanks for playing along anyway!
• John Wall‘s voice is second only to Shel Holtz‘s in terms of airtime in my earbuds, between Marketing Over Coffee and his regular appearances on the Beancast. He was there for that first event, and the man behind Scott Monty’s legendary roast. I learn something new from him and Christopher S. Penn every week. Thanks, John!
• I’m not Steve Garfield, but sometimes I wish I was. Yet another attendee at that first event, Steve made me realize that video wasn’t just a pipe dream, and I’ve learned a lot from him ever since. Thank you, Steve!

There are many other folks at that first event, more people from Scott’s roast I have yet to mention (including someone with the best rope skills I know), and a ton more people who have been big influences in my life, including, it goes without saying, SMC founders Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells. But more on all of them later…

LPP and the Social Media Club Boston invite you to pre-game with us before the Bruins face off against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, January 19. The pre-game fun starts at 6pm at The Greatest Bar, 262 Friend Street, in Boston.

Sign up today — only the first 50 who RSVP can get in. Visit http://www.lpp.com/joinus.html or email RSVP@lpp.com for more information or to save your space!

Thanks to our sponsor, LPP!

5th Anniversary Celebration: The Evolution of Social Business from Skip Bensley on Vimeo.

Our panel of social business leaders explored the following themes:
1. Evolution of social media into social business
2. Examples of social businesses
3. Trends in social business

PANELISTS

• Alistair Rennie, General Manager, Social Business, IBM (@alistair_rennie)
• Andrew Carusone, Director of Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE) and Community Governance, Lowe’s Home Improvement (@acaruson)
• Ric Fulop, Partner, North Bridge Venture Partners (@EntreCapitalist)

THIS FREE EVENT WAS SPONSORED AND HOSTED BY IBM. THANKS TO CORPORATE-AV FOR THE VIDEO!

Some event photos were shared on Mass High Tech:

In November of 2006, the Social Media Club Boston held its first event. In the five years since then, social media has evolved into what many are describing as social business. Join the Social Media Club Boston and IBM on November 8th for this exploration and celebration of the evolution of social media.

Our panel of social business leaders will explore the following themes:

1. Evolution of social media into social business
2. Examples of social businesses
3. Trends in social business

AGENDA

5:30-6:30 pm – Registration, Networking
6:30-6:45 pm – Opening Remarks & Look Back @ Last 5 Years
6:45-7:30 pm – Panel Presentations & Look Forward @ Next 5 Years
7:30-8:00 pm – Panel Q&A
8:00-9:00 pm – Mixer & 5th Anniversary Celebration

PANELISTS

• Alistair Rennie, General Manager, Social Business, IBM
• Andrew Carusone, Director of Integrated Workforce Experience (IWE) and Community Governance, Lowe’s Home Improvement
• Michael Skok, General Partner at North Bridge Venture Partners

SIGN UP NOW FOR THIS FREE EVENT!

This free event is sponsored and hosted by IBM.

Thanks also to Corporate-AV for providing the audio/video services for this event.

Join the Social Media Club Boston on October 18th for our first 100% virtual event: The Social Product Innovation Summit 2011.

This free, four-hour event offers opportunities to learn, discuss and celebrate the best uses of Social Product Innovation across the product lifecycle, including open innovation, crowdsourcing, expert identification, collaboration platforms, social product development, sentiment analysis and more.

Top industry speakers and winners from the 2010 SPIKE Awards will present real examples of success and attendees will have the opportunity to network with experts, vendors and each other to maximize value. Then, winners of the 2011 SPIKE Awards will be recognized. Finally, we’ll get a chance to chat with these winners.

Sessions will be presented in a flexible, a-la-carte format. Attend the sessions you want, when you want. Join us for live chat sessions with experts and open networking opportunities. Browse the exhibit hall to learn about supporting technologies and visit virtual booths.

For a full agenda, visit http://www.spikesummit.com/events.php. To sign up for this free event, visit: http://www.spikesummit.com/siteUserRegistration.php?UserType=3

It’s summertime, and that means it’s time for our next outdoor event. This year we’ll be exploring Boston’s Haymarket, Faneuil Hall and North End in our 4th annual photo walk. Rain or shine, we’ll meet at the Haymarket MBTA Station’s bus terminal (Facing the Rose Kennedy Greenway) at 1pm on Saturday, August 20th. We’ll be done by 4pm or so, giving you plenty of time to keep your evening plans.

We’ll start things out by exploring the people and produce at Haymarket, then move across the Greenway to the North End. We’ll tweet updates of our location at @smcboston, various geo apps and maybe even here on this page if you’re late and want to connect up.

We anticipate a good couple of miles of walking, so bring comfortable shoes, your camera or cameraphone, and whatever advice you can give to budding photographers (or questions you may have for them).

SIGN UP NOW AT http://photowalk4.eventbrite.com/

Here is some video of his presentation:

“Genius and Money” from Todd Van Hoosear on Vimeo.

And some photos…

Have some of your own? Tag them smcboston! Here are some of the most recent photos tagged “smcboston”

Join the Social Media Club Boston and our special guest Ben Mezrich, the man behind “The Social Network” movie, on June 20th for a mixer hosted and sponsored by IBM Netezza. Ben will share his thoughts on the intersection of genius, money and analytics. Ben will be keynoting at this year’s Enzee Universe, and will join us for a reception following his presentation.

Bring your own copy of your favorite Mezrich book, or order one in advance on this page and we’ll have it waiting for you when you arrive: we’ll have copies of Bringing Down The House and The Accidental Billionaires available for advance orders only, but only for people who sign up by Wednesday, June 8 at 10am.

The reception starts at 5:30pm at the Westin Waterfront. Sign up quickly, as this will sell out!

Join the Social Media Club Boston on Wednesday, June 8th for “Hyper-Local, Hyper-Social, Hyper-Competitive: The New Journalism,” hosted by IDG and Sponsored by  IDG and BusinessWire.

SIGN UP NOW.

From the front line to the local coffee shop to the courthouse, journalism faces pressure not only to remain profitable, but to remain relevant. Join this panel of journalists for an in-depth discussion of the pressures and possibilities facing the journalism profession today.

Registration and hors d’oeuvres begins at 5:30pm, with the panel discussion starting at 6:30.

Our panelists will include:

• Ed Medina (@surfermedina), Director of Multimedia Development, Boston Globe and Boston.com
• Kristin Burnham (@kmburnham), Staff Writer, CIO.com
• Tom Langford (@tom_langford), Reporter, NECN
• Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman), New Media Contributor, NESN.com

The moderator is Chuck Tanowitz (@ctanowitz), Principal of Fresh Ground and a passionate, engaged and opinionated follower of the profession, not to mention a former journalist.
As an intern at an NBC news magazine show in the early 90s, moderator Chuck Tanowitz found himself sitting on a couch acting as Tom Brokaw’s body double while videographers and stage personnel adjusted lights, moved props and checked camera angles. This was after delivering the mail for then Executive Producer, now NBC Vice President Jeff Zucker. The brush with greatness was not enough to hold his interest and Chuck moved on, eventually applying the journalism skills he developed at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism as well as several local TV and radio stations in New York and Massachusetts, to helping clients find fresh approaches to working with traditional media and social media.

Tom Langford is an award-winning journalist with nearly 15 years of newsroom experience.  As a reporter for New England Cable News, Tom brings the biggest stories of the day to 3.7 million homes in six states. In 2006, Tom won an Edward R. Murrow Award for an investigative story that revealed dangerous prescription drugs being sold over the Internet with no prescription needed.Tom grew up in Needham, Massachusetts and graduated cum laude from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.  In his spare time, Tom cheers for the Red Sox and Patriots and enjoys skiing, golfing, running and going to the beach with his wife and three sons.

Adam Kaufman brings more than a decade of on-air and print experience working in sports radio, television and the Internet; not to mention seven years working in public relations with focus on digital and interactive media and brand marketing on a local, national and international scale. He has extensive knowledge and experience in graphic design, social media, sponsorship marketing and website marketing strategy, and is the former vice president of PR for the Providence Bruins.

Kristin Burnham is a staff writer at CIO.com, where she covers consumer technologies, social media and Web 2.0, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google. She previously served in various editorial roles at CXO Media.

Ed Medina is the director of multimedia development at the Boston Globe and Boston.com. He began working for the Tonganoxie Mirror weekly newspaper in 1995 as a reporter, and moved to Boston in 1997 where he worked for Boston.com as a news producer, eventually specializing in multimedia. In October 2005, Medina moved to New York, where he became director of multimedia for the Associated Press. During his career, Medina has covered stories such as the priest sex abuse crisis, gay marriage, the 2004 World Series, and the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. He returned to the Boston Globe in January, 2007, as multimedia editor, helping to create the Globe’s Emmy award winning video department.

Please use the hashtag #SMCBoston for all tweets about this event. Please tag all blogs, podcasts, vlogs, and photos of this event with the keywords smcboston and socialmediaclub.

REGISTER ONLINE AT http://www.pubclub.org/Social-Media-May-4

Social media isn’t just for teens, celebrities and protest movements. B2B/B2C businesses, non-profits and governments at all levels are using social media to drive sales, raise money, improve customer service, respond to crises, and much more.