BRETT PETERSEL

Times Flies...

Its been over six months since my last post. This means I've been busy.

I'm not leaving Posterous just yet, but I do have a new blog (yes, finally) coming soon (for real).  

Digital Somethings

In late 2009, I, along with Damien Basile, David Weiner, and Khayyam Wakil, created a new monthly event, Digital Somethings, a cross-industry mixer for digital influencers.

We've held two successul mixer at Connolly's in midtown Manhattan, and have expressed the desire to both grow and move the event into a more organized structure (such as a panel). We've had great sponsors, including Kaplow PR and Svedka Vodka, and a large number of attendees (around 100 people per event). Here's how our third event, being held on Wednesday, January 13th, turned out:

First, there will be food and an open bar. Yes, this is very important to the New York tech crowd.

Next, we're holding the event at the Roger Smith Hotel. We love them!

Finally, we have an amazing panel (Topic: 2010 and Beyond - The Trends That Will Alter Media and Technology As We Know It). Here's who will be speaking at the event:

Jenna Wortham, New York Times, Bits Blog

Adam Ostrow, Editor in Chief, Mashable

Dan Patterson, ABC News Radio, Blog

Brian Simpson / Adam Wallace, Roger Smith Hotel, Blog, Website

PRNewswire, Website

Oh, and this is a great picture!

#MusicMonday - January 4, 2010

Music has always been a strong passion of mine. I've worked within the music industry, have followed and/or worked with many artists and record labels, and run a mildly successful record label. As an avid user of Twitter, I decided that I need to step up my game and get more involved with #musicmonday.

#musicmonday allows users to share a favorite artist or song that is then followed by a link to where others can listen to it/them online. Some of the services that people share music from include Blip.fm and GrooveShark.

Every week, I will randomly choose three albums from three artists that I know, respect, and/or deem worthy of a little exposure, along with all of their social media information/links.

     The Streets
     Original Pirate Material
    
     http://www.the-streets.co.uk
     http://www.myspace.com/thestreets

     Depeche Mode
     Songs of Faith and Devotion - Live
    
     http://www.depechemode.com
     http://www.myspace.com/depechemode

     The Atomica Project
     Metropolitan
    
     http://www.theatomicaproject.com
     http://www.myspace.com/atomica

I Can Haz iPhone App?

Yes, it's true. I have an iPhone application thanks to the awesome folks at MotherApp! You can grab the application here.

"I Want My Money Back" (Who Deserves A Refund?)

(This post also appears on EventCoup.com)

Every year there are thousands of events and tens of thousands of people attending them. In order to attend an event there are many costs involved, such as the price per ticket, transportation to and from the venue, and food. In addition, those attending (may) pay a substantial amount of money to see a certain person speak, learn about a company or organization, or network with others in their field(s), among other reasons. Everyone involved with an event’s production hope that everything goes according to plan, but the truth is that they will face a few obstacles along the way (before, during and after the event).

Recently, I received a free pass to attend a well-advertised one day conference in New York City. It included a fantastic list of speakers from various industries in a very intimate setting, and I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and network with those who attended. I enjoyed the conference and went about my business at the end of the evening. However, a friend who paid to attend the event was upset that the speaker he came to see had canceled at the last moment. His frustration led to us having a lengthy discussion about how the organizers of an event should handle situations such as this. Here are a few things we discussed:

- Should the event’s organizers give a refund to my friend?

My friend and I both agreed that he did not deserve a refund because he attended the entire event. It was understood that he attended the event to see one specific speaker, but how does one try to prove such a thing?

- Who deserves a refund (regarding all events)?

This is a tough situation. At times, it’s very hard to determine who deserves a refund. We did agree that those who are unable to attend an event should be fully refunded with a proof of purchase and if they approach the organizers, but those who did show for an event should not. If an event sells out, that’s a ticket that could have been purchased by another person. Therefore, attendance records should be kept and recorded.

- What factors are and should be involved in order to receive a refund?

Again, I stress the importance of maintaining attendance records for all events. SXSW, Blog World, and the Affiliate Summit events are well-organized in how they keep track of all attendees, including electronic monitoring and/or scanning of attendee badges. This ensures that an attendee has been active at the event.

Overall, do you think event organizers/producers should offer a form of “insurance” that guarantees that the event they have setup will run according to plan (or what was guaranteed by their advertising and promotion)? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

My History of Blogging

I have a confession: I'm not a blogger. Never was, never will be. However, there are a number of reasons why this may change.

First, I work for Mashable. If I were given one slice of pizza for each time someone asked if I write for Mashable, I'd be a very, very happy (and very, very unhealthy) man with more than a lifetime amount of pizza. Well, I don't write for Mashable, but I love pizza.

Next, I chose a few topics to write about: Music, Horror Films, and the Internet (startups, technology, etc). These blog posts will be brief and to the point. Yes, I promise.

Finally, I've noticed a number of job descriptions focusing upon a candidate's blogging experience. Ruh Roh!

Overall, I expect to write a few blog posts during the week, and then maybe a few posts a day. Then, you'll wish that I never blogged at all.