Service Soapbox Planning Meeting

The first meeting of our Service Soapbox group went just SWIMMINGLY.

See?

We did a little speed dating, a little networking, a little eating and a little project planning.  The lovely Becca came up with a really simple, fun idea for a spring event that we quickly decided would be a terrific kick-off project.  She graciously agreed to serve as the committee chair for this project, and will tell you all about it on her blog and our Service Soapbox blog in a few days.

Thanks again to the Blue Lemon for hosting us.  It was a beautiful room and a great morning.

Ladies and Gentlemen - We Have a Location!

On Monday night I found out the location I was planning to use for the bloggy brunch had fallen through, and after attempting to book a few other locations (using our budget of zero dollars and zero cents along with our wondrous time frame of zero advance notice) and hitting roadblock after roadblock, I was nervously trying to figure out how many people would fit into my family room.

(ANSWER: NOT FORTY.)

I was fooling around on Twitter and tweeted my dismay thusly:

"Was planning to host Saturday's blog brunch at a friend's reception center but now they've booked a last minute something or other. GAH."

Within SECONDS, the Blue Lemon (@blue_lemon) restaurant in Highland (only a few minutes from my house!) tweeted back, offering their banquet room for our brunch.

BEHOLD THE POWER OF TWITTER.

I couldn't announce it earlier because they had to check their calendar, but it's all set now.

Thank you so much to the Blue Lemon for jumping in and saving the day.  They normally charge for the use of their lovely banquet room, but are letting us use it for free.  If you are on twitter, please tweet them your thanks - they've really charged to our rescue and I've promised them we'll be like a little twittering, blogging goodwill army.  



So here's the info:

What: Utah Bloganthropy* Brunch
Come get to know other local women / bloggers (blogger speed dating - oh so nerdy and delicious), and then help us start planning an exciting online and real world service project - so we can all use our online platforms (PLATFORMS - SO FANCY) to do a little good in the world.

Date: Saturday, February 20th

Time: 10AM - 12PM

Location: Blue Lemon Restaurant Banquet Room (second floor)
11073 N. Alpine Highway, Highland, UT 84003


What to bring: A few cans of food for the Utah Food Bank and your enthusiasm (or as much as you can muster up on a Saturday morning), and a brunchy treat if you are so inclined.

What NOT to bring: YOUR CAMERA.

(Oh, FINE, you can bring it. Just don't expect me to be happy about it if you point it in my direction.  I'm still really fat. And I doubt you will bother to photoshop out all of my chins and wrinkles.)

(Question:  If bloggers have a brunch and it isn't captured on film, DID IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?)

If you would like to come but haven't already RSVPd, you can sign up below, shot me an email or tweet letting me know you're planning to come.  Or you can just show up. (Although you might not get a name-tag that way.)  (THE HORROR.)

(You don't have to have a blog to come, by the way.  We enthusiastically accept all humans, even the social media impaired.)

Questions? Email me at suelikestoblogandwastetime at gmail dot com.

Hope to see you there.

See You There?

If you're planning to get together with us for the Utah Bloganthropy Brunch on February 20th, please put your name and blog link in the McLinky below. This way everyone can start getting to know each other prior to the big day by visiting your blog.  (There's no need to link back, tis not a carnival.)

If you can't come this month, but still plan to be involved, please still go ahead and sign up in the McLinky so I can get an idea of who is GENERALLY interested.  If you want to be involved but can't come this month, just let me know in the comments.

I do need to get a feel for how many people plan to come, so I can nail down the location. From emails, comments and tweets, it looked like around 45 women were tentatively planning on it, but that was before I announced an actual date.  Turns out it's much easier to commit to an imaginary event.

Date: Saturday, February 20th
Time: 10 - 12 PM
Location: TBA
Bring: Cans of food for the Utah Food Bank, and, if you are so inclined, some kind of brunchy treat (not required though, I know Saturday mornings are nutso).

(Oooh, and if you'd like to bring paper cups, plates, or napkins (CLASSY), please shoot me an email.)

That morning we'll start off by getting to know each other via speed dating Enforced-At-Gunpoint-Friendship-Rotations.  This is so you don't end up spending the whole morning talking to the same two bloggers you happened to sit down next to when you walked in the door.

After that, we'll throw around a few ideas for projects we'd like to try to tackle over the next few months. The idea is to pursue projects that have both online and real world components, so that our efforts aren't limited to what can be accomplished by local bloggers. HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE INTERNET and all of that jazz.

You are welcome to invite anyone and everyone - blog about it, tweet about it, even {EGADS} TALK about it - because non-bloggers are also completely welcome. I'm hoping to bring along a few non-blogging friends and relatives and I hope you'll do the same. The goal is to be like an internet based Junior League, but without the snob factor and wealth.  Accomplish some good stuff and have a little fun.

Thanks guys - hope you can come!