Listen to @rachelhappe and @jimstorer as they lead a lively discussion about media and community building within businesses.

This talk took place Friday, June 26, 2009 at John Harvard's Brew House in Cambridge, MA.

Enjoy and tweet your comments to me @jeffcutler

Here's the sound from two great panels at Thursday's What's Next in Tech event at the Boston University School of Management.

Scott Kirsner is the moderator.

Send all comments to me on Twitter @jeffcutler or on Facebook.com/thejeffcutler

Thanks!

Here's a quick, once-around-the-room interview of the group at Cuff's Boston Tweetup last night (Thursday, June 24).

I like this format and will probably share many more of these.

Let me know what you think.

I was at an event the other night and ran into Comcast social media guru and Twitter adopter - see him at @comcastcares - Frank Eliason.

I hit him with a couple questions about social media and figured why not share them here.

Enjoy.

This is the fifth in a series of five Jonathan Coulton episodes. Here's the scenario...

In March 2008, I sat down and interviewed Jonathan Coulton for about an hour and 20 minutes. That interview has now been cut into five segments for your listening pleasure.

During each episode you'll also hear snippets of Coulton's music. Find more of that here.

If you have a topic for A Life of Play podcast, gimme a shout at jeff@jeffcutler.com or at alifeofplay@gmail.com.

And please leave your comments here on the blog.

Thanks!

This is the fourth in a series of five Jonathan Coulton episodes. Here's the scenario...<br/>
<br/>
In March 2008, I sat down and interviewed Jonathan Coulton for about an
hour and 20 minutes. That interview has now been cut into five segments
for your listening pleasure.<br/>
<br/>
During each episode you'll also hear snippets of Coulton's music. <a href="http://jonathancoulton.com">Find more of that here.</a><br/>
<br/>
If you have a topic for A Life of Play podcast, gimme a shout at jeff@jeffcutler.com or at alifeofplay@gmail.com.<br/>
<br/>
And please leave your comments here on the blog.<br/>
<br/>
Thanks!<br/>
<br/>

This is the third in a series of five Jonathan Coulton episodes. Here's the scenario...

In March 2008, I sat down and interviewed Jonathan Coulton for about an hour and 20 minutes. That interview has now been cut into five segments for your listening pleasure.

During each episode you'll also hear snippets of Coulton's music. Find more of that here.

If you have a topic for A Life of Play podcast, gimme a shout at jeff@jeffcutler.com or at alifeofplay@gmail.com.

And please leave your comments here on the blog.

Thanks!

This is the second in a series of five Jonathan Coulton episodes. Here's the scenario...

In March 2008, I sat down and interviewed Jonathan Coulton for about an hour and 20 minutes. That interview has now been cut into five segments for your listening pleasure.

During each episode you'll also hear snippets of Coulton's music. Find more of that here.

If you have a topic for A Life of Play podcast, gimme a shout at jeff@jeffcutler.com or at alifeofplay@gmail.com.

And please leave your comments here on the blog.

Thanks!

This is the first in a series of five Jonathan Coulton episodes. Here's the scenario...

In March 2008, I sat down and interviewed Jonathan Coulton for about an hour and 20 minutes. That interview has now been cut into five segments for your listening pleasure.

During each episode you'll also hear snippets of Coulton's music. Find more of that here.

If you have a topic for A Life of Play podcast, gimme a shout at jeff@jeffcutler.com or at alifeofplay@gmail.com.

And please leave your comments here on the blog.

Thanks!

My name's Jeff Cutler and I'm a journalist and content creation specialist. I train companies and individuals how to communicate - and I sell my writing to companies when their resources or skills are too strained to deliver effective messaging.

I can be reached at jeff@jeffcutler.com and you can view my portfolio at jeffcutler.com.

As part of my ongoing research, I attend numerous technology and business events in the area. I recently made it to the Girls in Tech event in Cambridge, MA. I recorded the event and am making it available for anyone that would like it.

Here's how the Girls in Tech event for May 2009 was described...

Have you been wondering how to incorporate digital tools into your marketing or organizational processes?

Well, here's your chance. We've got a stellar group of panelists, each of whom focus on a specific aspect of "social media."  They will have a discussion about how you can start thinking about implementing these tools and concepts into your organization (company, university, non-profit, you name it!) in an effective and beneficial way.

Additionally, we will be conducting two case studies, whereby each organization will be given the opportunity to describe themselves, what they do, what they have (or haven't done) with social media, what they hope to do (or maybe they don't know!) and gain valuable feedback from the panelists and audience members on how they can move in the right direction within the space.

The really great news? Those case studies will be two of you ladies (on behalf of yourselves or your organization).

If you would like to submit your organization for one of our case studies, please email Kate: kate@girlsintech.net and include the following information.

-Your name
-Your company name
-Brief description of what your company does
-Your current marketing or business development strategy (2-3 sentences)
-What you've done so far with social media, including what has been successful or unsuccessful
-Any pertinent questions you would have for the panelists
-Why you think your company makes a good case study!

Our panelists include:

Karen Rubin, Product Owner, HubSpot

Karen Rubin is a product owner at HubSpot, an internet marketing company whose visionary efforts have changed the nature of internet marketing for small and medium businesses. She has also worked in project and content management for some of the world's top web 2.0 companies, such as MainStreet.com, Stockpickr.com, iVillageLive.com and GiftCertificates.com. Karen also is co-star of HubSpot TV, a weekly video podcast about marketing and social media trends. Karen has a degree in Computer Science from Trinity College. Feel free to follow Karen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karenrubin. To visit HubSpot, go to www.hubspot.com.

Rachel Happe, Co-Founder, Community Roundtable

Rachel Happe (http://www.twitter.com/rhappe) is Co-Founder and Principal at The Community Roundtable and has over fifteen years of experience working with emerging technologies including enterprise social networking, ecommerce, and enterprise software applications. Combining a career in business and software with a lifetime of watching her parents manage church communities, Rachel brings some unique perspectives into how both profit- and passion-driven organizations operate.

Prior to The Community Roundtable, Rachel served as a product executive at Mzinga, Bitpass, & IDe.  In addition, as a technology analyst, Rachel initiated IDC's enterprise social software practice where she wrote groundbreaking research including The Power and Passion of Organic Communities: How Technology Can Be Used to Increase Discovery, Engagement, and Productivity; The Social Enterprise: How Social Networking Changes Everything; and U.S. Social Networking Application 2008–2012 Forecast: Enterprise Social Networking Takes Hold. Rachel started her business career at PRTM as a Business Analyst focused on helping technology companies understand and improve their product development operations. She writes at http://www.thesocialorganization.com

Mike Langford, Founder & Head Tweeter, TweetWorks

Mike is a serial entrepreneur with passion for making a difference in peoples lives. In addition to his roll at Tweetworks, Mike is a principal at the investment advisory firm Course Pilot Financial. Prior to launching Course Pilot he held a variety of roles as a member of the finance teams at Fidelity Investments and State Street Corporation.  Mike earned his MBA from Boston University’s School of Management.

Cappy Popp, Co-Founder & Principal, Thought Labs

Cappy Popp is co-founder and Principal at Thought Labs, a social media strategy and implementation firm which has been building custom Facebook and social media solutions since the launch of the Facebook Platform. He has created successful Facebook strategies, applications, Pages, and integrated social media presences for companies of all sizes.

Before starting Thought Labs he was a Principal Engineer at NuMega/Compuware where he specialized in emerging technologies and used his fifteen years of software engineering experience to create award-winning enterprise debugging, testing, and monitoring software.

He has a deep understanding of Facebook internals, best practices, and strategy and is currently writing 'Facebook Development: A Complete Guide to Smart Application Development for the Facebook Platform' for Pearson/Addison-Wesley.

Agenda:

6:00-7:00 will be general networking

7:00-8:30 will be panel discussion and case studies, followed by Q&A

8:30-9:00 will be reserved for either wind-down networking or further Q&A if people are finding the discussion worthwhile!

Please use the Twitter Tag #GiTBos for the event

There will be an iPod raffle, courtesy of QTask, our new corporate-level sponsor.

This event is sponsored by MICROSOFT

It's been a while since the last episode of A Life of Play and I've tossed it into a curveball mode.

Now you'll just see our original well-thought-out pieces and interviews along with some random sound from events and locations.

In fact, I might even upload some 'OVERHEARD' recordings here because people are so loathe to keep their conversations private when chatting in public.

This episode is a collection of answers to the question "What is your Twitter name and what are you wearing?" The rest is up to you.

Enjoy.

Unlike the podcasts at Bowl of Cheese, the shows on A Life of Play are for the most part unscripted. Therefore there’s no transcript to my interviews with the talented folks who appear hear.

But below are some of the resources that relate to the latest episode.

If you’ve got an idea for A Life of Play podcast or want to appear on the show, send us an email - alifeofplay@gmail.com - give us a call - 206-888-2715 - or just scroll down and leave a comment below.

Here are your scooter resources:

http://vespalx150.blogspot.com/index.html http://thescooterscoop.com/

http://girlbike.com/ http://lx50vespa.blogspot.com/

http://2strokebuzz.com/index.php http://www.sctrcst.com/

http://justgottascoot.com/

Here is Angie’s information:

Angie Thibault
Prez and founder- ladies scooter society of boston
Technical Director- YMCA theater, central square in cambridge
Regional cordinator for SQREAM, the national queer scooter club
Comedian
http://www.myspace.com/saphic
"Better to make yourself briefly unpopular than to become permanently compromised"

Still looking? Then just google scooter and you’ll find local clubs and lots of friendly people willing to help you out.

I for one are planning to buy a scooter this spring and will likely be going to Javaspeed in Providence, Rhode Island. Their page is http://www.javaspeed.net.

Until next time, enjoy your life of play.

In this episode we talk ice hockey with Jay Kumar. His own podcast, Completely Conspicuous, can be found here.

Enjoy and send your feed back to us at alifeofplay@gmail.com or give us a call at 201-793-8255.

See you out there!

Today we speak with Steve Walker who has run 14 marathons and shares his tips and insight on getting into shape and running your first marathon.

Steve is also the host of Phedippidations - the running podcast.

Enjoy!

Remember, to reach us you can call - 201-793-TALK (8255) or leave a comment in the show notes. Or send us an email.

And visit Bowl of Cheese for links to my other podcast and companion blog.

See you out there...

Yes, we're back!

A Life of Play podcast has Brian Mollica on the air with us during this episode. He tells us everything we need to know about having fun at comedy clubs.

Leave your feedback below or send us a note. Or now you can call us on the new phone - 201-793-8255 (TALK).

And have fun out there people!

Hey listeners, I've been working at making A Life of Play more friendly, regular and valuable.

I think I've done it.

BUT, before I load up on the value-packed episodes I'm going to give you one or two more episodes of the Bowl of Cheese podcast.

If you like this one, go to iTunes and subscribe or go to my blog get the RSS feed from there.

Otherwise, send me and email at ALOP or at BOC and be sure to vote at Podcast Alley. Just do a search for each show.

Thanks for listening and there certainly is more to come.

See you out there...

Here's episode ONE of the Bowl of Cheese podcast. I plan to toss a few of these up here while lining up my next expert interviews for A Life of Play.

So enjoy and let me know what you think by emailing me or putting your comments in the show notes.

If you want to read along with me, go to my blog and look for the post that corresponds with the words that are coming from your speakers.

More to come...

OK. As I sit here this morning I'm contemplating tossing my computer out the window because I played with the iTunes settings and this has caused me to lose one full day of my life.

That's right, by adjusting the sound settings downward (so the podcast will fit nicely in a quick download) I hurt my other music. I guess you can't hurt music, but I inadvertently left the settings LOW AND MONO while I imported about 200 of my own CDs so I could put them on my iPod.

Now I don't know if this will be noticable when I'm listening, but I suspect it will be and I will have to re-import all this music. Aughhhh!

On a nice note, you now have a new episode of A Life of Play podcast to listen to. In this episode I tighten up my thoughts, my voice is better, and I give you a TON of stuff to do over the next week or so.

If you want more details on any event, just send me an email, visit this page (the one we're on) and put a comment in the show notes, or call me at 206-973-PLAY.

Additionally, give A Life of Play a VOTE at Podcast Alley so we can jump into the top 100 for October.

By the way, one of my newest cross promos is with a guy and a gal who do a kid's book podcast. It's called Just One More Book... here's their link.

www.russelltours.com
www.outdoors.org
www.ems.com
www.americanhiking.com
www.webwalking.com/hiking.html
www.14ers.com/peakbag.html
home.comcast.net/~garyt1/peaklist.html

Until next time - when I hope to have a longer show for you or another jam-packed minicast, I'll see you out there...

Yup. The first MiniCast of A Life of Play.

I chat about hiking and give you info from my personal experience and from GORP.com.

And while I planned to make them all about five minutes, this one gets to be about 15 minutes long, so bear with me as I whittle my blathering down to suit the definition of minicast.

Thanks!!

As with any of our topics on A Life of Play, here are some links to help you learn more. If you have any questions or issues, please contact us via phone - 206-973-PLAY or EMAIL. Or even leave a note for us in the show note comments at the bottom of the page.

If you want to appear on A Life of Play - get in touch! We love to talk to experts and planned topics for future episodes include kayaking, travel, Bed and Breakfasts, all about tea, the gun range, art shows, music festivals, triathlon and duathlon, swimming and more.

Additionally, give A Life of Play a VOTE at Podcast Alley so we can jump into the top 100 for October.

By the way, one of my newest cross promos is with a guy and a gal who do a kid's book podcast. It's called Just One More Book... here's their link.

www.russelltours.com
www.outdoors.org
www.ems.com
www.americanhiking.com
www.webwalking.com/hiking.html
www.14ers.com/peakbag.html
home.comcast.net/~garyt1/peaklist.html

FINALLY, A Life of play has been reviewed in popular publication. TAKE A LOOK at the review. Write to us, visit us online or call us.

AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE this month.

See you out there...

Just a quickie announcement that I've had a cold for a few weeks - hmmm, suspicious that it happened right after Octoberfest!!

But now I've just completed my first minicast and have a handful more planned for upcoming weeks.

In this first one we cover hiking tips and do a quick recap on my most recent activites. Upcoming shows will cover outdoor and leisure technology, we'll do our comedy show with Brian from the MSR comedy podcast, and a whole lot more.

So stay tuned in and subscribed.

Thanks and I'll see you out there...

And without a hitch - except for the bumps in my schedule - episode 16 of A Life of Play is up.

In this episode, Mike Smith of Harpoon Brewery finishes his comments on beer making, the industry, home brewing and life.

It's a fun exchange that I think you'll enjoy. The great thing is that you can meet Mike and the whole Harpoon crew at their Octoberfest happening the end of September in South Boston, MA.

Also in this episode I briefly mention toying around with a new format. I'm planning to do a bunch of 'mini casts' of about 10 minutes that will give you pointers on a specific activity and a quick list of events in a certain part of the world.

Then, every fourth or fifth episode will be a fulll-length interview with an expert. I think the move will give you more quality interviews and allow me to impart much more knowledge without destroying my calendar.

You see, I like to get out and play as much as anyone and my current schedule only allows me one day of play. That's not A LIFE of Play, now is it?

Please let me know what you think of the new format. Send me an email, put a comment in the show notes right here, call me at 206-973-PLAY or think really positive thoughts and I'll try to intercept your brainwaves.

Until next episode (oh, yes, go VOTE now at Podcast Alley), I will see you out there...

Hey, episode 15 of A Life of Play podcast is here.

In this part one of two, we talk with Mike Smith of Harpoon Brewery about beer and every aspect of tasting, brewing and enjoying this incredible beverage.

We've been on a little holiday for three months and this show is a great way to get back into the swing.

Visit podcast alley and give us a vote when you get a chance. The show notes for episode 16 will have more links than these, but please go vote at podcastalley.com. Then go see all the events happening at harpoonbrewery.com.

Call - 206-973-PLAY or leave a comment below if you need to talk to A Life of Play.

See you out there...

After a glorious summer break (or what you might call 'holiday' in Europe), the staff of A Life of Play is back at the computer getting shows ready for the next nine months.

Right off the bat we will be interviewing Mike Smith from Harpoon Brewery in Boston, MA.

Then it's off to part two of Mike's interview and great discussion of making your own beer.

Show 16 will be all about comedy and comedy clubs with our old friend Brian Mollica.

And we expect show 17 to cover the interesting sport of tree climbing.

So, hold tight for a few more days and then get ready for the fun.

See you out there...

This week we spoke with MaryBeth Bond of Gutsy Traveler.com.

Here are the interview questions and a few links to help you find out more about travel.


What's your name, position and how did you become a travel expert?

What are two or three things people must know before they plan a trip?

Your current project for National Geographic Books is a women's travel book. How does travel differ between the sexes? Or, what do women look for in a destination or travel experience that men might
not be aware of?

What challenges do women face when trying to arrange a vacation with other women?

How have traveling attitudes changed over time? (weekend to paris instead of full weeks; travel for
one particular goal (museums or spa) as opposed to "hop on the bus and see the whole country"?

What resources do you suggest to my listeners when they are planning a vacation?

How does travel within the US differ from international travel?

What are the current hot spots?

How can women, or anyone, take a trip cheaply?

What are the pitfalls that swallow up your travel budget?

What's your favorite travel destination?

What was your best trip ever?

Gutsy Traveler

Travel and Leisure

Kayak

Send us an email with show ideas or feedback.

Vote for A Life of Play.

See you out there...

Hey, Listeners.

This is just a quick note to let you know I've been on vacation and didn't plan ahead well enough to keep A Life of Play stocked with shows for the past two weeks.

Well, going forward, I hope to change that. Right now, I'm working on the show for July 12 and also trying to put a few others in the can so we don't experience a gap like this in the future.

As a quick recap, I've been doing bike related stuff, some travel and a lot of Tour de France watching.

Get out there and enjoy yourselves and I'll have A Life of Play ready soon to guide you in your adventures.

If you'd like to be interviewed on the show, just send us an email and we'll get you on!

Until then, see you out there...

Hey, listeners. Here's the latest promo snippet for A Life of Play. Hope you like it!

See you out there...

Oh, yes - Episode 14 should be up by tomorrow. We're doing a simple feature on all the different things people do on the 4th of July.

Hi Listeners! In ALOP number 13, we speak with Aidan Doherty of Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) about kayaking. I know I've been promising this interview for a while and it definitely lives up to expectations!!

Here are the questions I asked Aidan and then there are some kayaking links below that.

As always, leave me a comment in the show notes, send me an email or call me and leave a voicemail - 206-973-PLAY.

And JUNE is not over yet, so if you haven't voted, please go now and do so. Thanks!!!!

Questions:
How did you get involved in kayaking?
What does a novice need to know -- how do you get into the sport?
Tell me a little about kayaks and other paddle craft.
Where can you kayak?
What must you have when you're out on the water?
Talk about whitewater for a moment.
How good a kayaker are you?
Where are the best places to go in the world?
What other forms does kayaking take as a sport -- say Olympics, etc.?
Exercises to prepare yourself physically?
Talk products for a second?
What else should people know -- racks, transporting, navigation?

Links:
www.ems.com
www.thule.com
www.outdoors.org
www.kayak.com (I know, this is a travel aggregator, but it has the word kayak in the name and you can use it to get cheap airfare to kayaking destinations)
www.canoekayak.com

See you out there...

WOW. I've got some friends who hike like maniacs every weekend, but none of my friends have yet signed up of a hiking journey like the ones offered by Bill Russell of Russell Tours. That's where they're missing out!

Mr. Russell and I spoke for about 20 minutes the other day and his interview is chock full of details on the amazing things about hiking at home (whatever continent you're on) and abroad. We cover the essentials and talk about equipment, fitness, resources and what is included in a hiking tour.

As with any of our topics on A Life of Play, here are some links to help you learn more. If you have any questions or issues, please contact us via phone - 206-973-PLAY or EMAIL. Or even leave a note for us in the show note comments at the bottom of the page.

If you want to appear on A Life of Play - get in touch! We love to talk to experts and planned topics for future episodes include kayaking, travel, Bed and Breakfasts, all about tea, the gun range, art shows, music festivals, triathlon and duathlon, swimming and more.

Additionally, give A Life of Play a VOTE at Podcast Alley so we can jump into the top 100 for June.

www.russelltours.com
www.outdoors.org
www.ems.com
www.americanhiking.com
www.webwalking.com/hiking.html
www.14ers.com/peakbag.html
home.comcast.net/~garyt1/peaklist.html

FINALLY, A Life of play has been reviewed in popular publication. TAKE A LOOK at the review.

Wow. After a bit of a struggle trying to manipulate my schedule to match with a guest, I just scrapped that idea and put together a question and answer session for you.

The A Life of Play Q and A covers a handful of common questions about fun things we all might like to do in our free time. Here are a few of the links I mentioned in the show.

And remember to POD THE VOTE when you get a chance.

Also, feel free to send your emails to us when you can, to suggest new guests, new topics and to send in questions for the Q and A show when we do our next one!

Thanks and I'll see you out there...

www.thetraveldoctor.com
www.atlantickayaktours.com
www.paddling.net
www.travelandleisure.com
www.canoekayak.com
www.budgettravelonline.com
www.kayak.com
www.orbitz.com
www.priceline.com
www.expedia.com

Hey, Listeners!

Hope you're enjoying ALOP number 10. I think it was a great topic and I've already signed upm on Geocaching.com and found a few places near my home to explore.

But that's not why I'm writing. I just wanted to reassure you that Episode 11 will be up soon. I had a horrid fever earlier this week and was unable to do my interviews.

SO, I expect that I'll get the show up tonight (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday) and you'll be set with some quality podcast entertainment for the weekend.

Thanks for your patience. Call me at 206-973-PLAY, email me at alifeofplay@gmail.com or just leave a comment below.

See you out there...

HEY - don't forget to POD THE VOTE. Each vote gets us closer to being in the top 100 and once we get there, whoooo boy. Then fame and fortune follow.

Thanks!