This past Friday was likemind Chicago. This monthly meetup (with the exception of 1 date for November & December) brings together an eclectic mix of people. Where typically people work in and around the Web, media, advertising and marketing, it also brings out a number of people who work in different fields who have interests in these areas. We meet at Argo Tea on Adams and Dearborn Streets at 8 am, where their great teas and coffee compliment what’s happening.

Myself and Bruno Pieroni “host” the meetup – we greet everyone, but we are by no means the pivot point of the gathering. Over the past couple of years we have been proud to host the local meetup of what is a global networking meetup. We have had people from around the world – literally – come by as they attend a likemind gathering in their home city. We also have many people who come by each month, and some who come once and we never see them again.

Where Were You?

On average a dozen people come to likemind, and I have always wondered why more don’t. Where we meet at 8 am, surely people are up at this hour. Maybe people indicate on Facebook they are coming but don’t really plan to. Rather than overanalyze this, I thought instead I would share some of the topics of conversation at last Friday’s likemind, and leave it to you to determine if you are missing out on anything!

Here goes, as many as I could write down, in a somewhat chronological order:

• Pek gave a demo of his “Amazon instant” Web app called ShelfLuv and iPad app BizTome
• Erin talked about SteepandCheap.com where she got her 66 North jacket, and we talked about how it was an Icelandic brand, and told the story about an employer who bought a coffee pot for a late-night project
• BookBook is an iPad case that looks like a vintage book binding
• Ryan showed us his Droid X, which he bought to “fit in” with everyone else’s smartphones
• There is a likemind Chicago location in Foursquare, and Mike took the mayorship from Bruno
• Kate said the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is more than butterflies
• Talk about various marathons around the US
• How Foursquare’s School Night badge is awarded for checking in anywhere after 3 am, even at work
• Bruno referred to a colleague as, “my other Pek” and talked about an app he created called GeoPollster which integrates with Foursquare and you can tag a location with a political party
• Interhoods is a location-based designer and developer showcase, now in Chicago, New York and San Francisco
• Sortfolio is another location-based showcase, which presents project price ranges
• A lot of discussion around passive, recurring revenue
• Victoria is working on a Web site for the Girl Scouts
• Mike inserted QR codes into conversations whenever and wherever possible
• Discussion on examples of augmented reality
• Comparing TEDx Windy City vs. TEDx Midwest vs. TEDx Naperville
• Mike brought up the Nokia Qt mobile development platform and some wondered why they hadn’t heard about it
• Discussion around where people worked and some asked Mike about OfficePort Chicago
• The Windows 7 Phone compares with Android and the iPhone

As well, a few things were talked about which some felt were private conversations and shouldn’t have been mentioned here!

All this, in just under 2 hours. Would you have learned something being there? Could you have contributed? Watch for the announcement of the next likemind Chicgao on our Facebook group.

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Business • Strategize • Technology • Thrive • likemind • (14) Comments • Permalink