With (Heaping HUGE) Thanks!

Just so you can see how amazing '08 was...and get a preview of how cool this year will be.....

Hi, it's Lori Magno giving a shout out to all of our wonderful goodie bag contributors. Please be advised that this will be the longest post on the Blogger Social site, ever. And now I give you The Parade of Thanks©

Blogger Social was pleased to present goodie bags to all attendees – lots of goodie bags, and without the kindness of these fabulous people & companies, they would have been might empty goodie bags. So hey- say thank you, pay a call, or drop a post on the following beautiful peeps (in no particular order):

ClikitySplit.com (a visual marketplace) presented the Socialites with the New York City Edition Moleskine, a divine little guide to America’s most socialite-laden city. The maps were quite useful in running event to event, with a subway guide that’s actually readable – bonus! Check out ClikitySplit’s dynamic billboards and useful information that will blow your shopping minds. Thanks to CK for connecting us with ClikitySplit.

Marketing Profs membership & t-shirt courtesy of the divine Ann Handley! Thank you for spreading the goodness that is Marketing Profs to our circle of smarty people. The five premium memberships for our raffle were too gracious and we thank you for not only being with us on Friday – but rolling all those t-shirts yourself!

BitchyBetty.org t-shirt: OMG – how do you not love an org with the tagline “Anyone Can Bitch, It Takes Balls to Be a Betty”? I mean really, it does take balls to be a Betty. BitchyBetty is a brand new social network that allows members to post a “b!tch” and request a "pitch" from other members to help with the situation. Blogger Social congratulates BitchyBetty on their recent launch and encourages you to become a Betty! Magno says “I was already halfway there – I’m excited to become a Betty!”

Reidel bourbon glasses courtesy of Jason Falls’ client Beam Global Spirits. I’ll say it – who knew one needed bourbon glasses? Not me, and I’m all about the lovely glassware. Our Social Media Explorer Jason was kind enough to hook us up with his client, and quietly tell people that there are awesome recipes and other cool things here. (Age verification req’d)

Flooring the Consumer’s magnificent C.B. Whittemore gifted us with useful goodies from Solutia/Wear-Dated; paper, pen and ruler – as well as the nicest piece of print material I’ve seen in years. The black Wear-Dated bags came in quite handy by the end of Social! Thank you CB for gifting us with goodies and your smiling face at Social - further proof that Age of Conversation Authors, and bloggers rule.

The Smartest Man on Earth, Saul Colt provided us with a fancy, fancy t-shirt and gift cards that will allow business owners to try out FreshBooks. FreshBooks is an online invoicing and time tracking service that saves you time and makes you look professional – and who couldn't use a little help looking professional.

IdeaBlob “I Talk to Strangers” t-shirt. If the gift fits, wear it. IdeaBlob is the tastefully unbranded brainchild of some smarty peeps at Advanta. The concept is simple: Where entrepreneurs and small business owners can share and grow their business ideas – and have a monthly chance to win $10,000 towards fulfilling them. Post your idea and win a hefty amount of seed money? I am so there.

ooVoo gifted Blogger Social with the kindest, and also the giftiest gifts. For the Socialites, ooVoo sent an Amazon.com gift card and invited everyone to visit their webstore to purchase a webcam or other gear that will allow them to use ooVoo’s unique web conference service. ooVoo also presented a check in the amount of $30,000 to benefit the Frozen Pea Fund in honor of our friend Susan Reynolds (check out Boobs on Ice!) And check out ooVoo – it is a remarkably easy way to have a face-to-face video chat with friends, family or colleagues, no matter where they are in the world. ooVoo Video Chat is easy to use and best of all: it's free! Thank you Greg Verdino for connecting us with ooVoo.

The City of New York provided us with some goodies too. The NYC Department of Health has their own branded condoms, and since they give them away, we thought why not include them in the goodie bag? (For nothing more than a NYC branded laugh!)

The New York City Tourism folks run a great website (definitely worth a visit before a visit for the discounts alone) and provided the Socialites with awesome tour books. We thank them for making us welcome and ensuring great weather for the entire weekend!

But wait, there's more! The Blogger Social Book Club (Who’s bringing the wine?)

Socialites were gifted with books from some of the smartest social media peeps out there.

Step into the Spotlight by Tsufit. Tsufit coaches performers and keynote speakers on how to “knock em dead” in the spotlight. A dean’s List graduate from University of Toronto Law School and named a “super-achiever” by Canadian Lawyer magazine, Tsufit left her downtown litigation practice to become a performer. Tsufit coaches entrepreneurs to follow their dreams. We are grateful to Todd Andrlik for connecting Social with Tsufit!

Now is Gone by Geoff Livingston. Our very own Socialite, Geoff Livingston gift us with his book and his presence at Social. Geoff has worked as a marketing strategist in the Washington, DC region for 15 years. Dubbed a “local blogging guru” by the Washington Post, Geoff’s Buzz Bin blog is nationally recognized, and is the top ranked independent PR blog in the Washington, DC region. Geoff has received many accolades for his Blogger Social championship tattoo.

A Clear Eye for Branding by Tom Asacker. Socialite Tom “Director Tom” Clifford connected us with Tom Asacker- author, speaker, provocateur. Tom has marketing, management and operational expertise from prior management posts at G.E. and from his entrepreneurial experience as co-founder and President of a high-tech medical device company. He is a recipient of the George Land Innovator of the Year Award and holds medical patents and product design awards. Tom can now add friend of Socialites to his list of superlatives!

Stopwatch Marketing, Take charge of the Time When Your Customer Decides to Buy by John Rosen and AnnaMaria Turano. Authors John Rosen and AnnaMaria Turano lead one of America's most prestigious marketing consultancies and have spent years helping clients analyze, evaluate, and respond to the time sensitivity of their customers. They share case studies of what works and what doesn't, for businesses ranging from mom-and-pop stores to consumer products giants. Check out John & Anna's blog. Social was pleased that John could join us at the Friday night social event.

Media Rules! By Brian Reich and Dan Solomon. Brian Reich is a principal at Echo Ditto. He is a regular speaker and writer on the issues involving the impact of the Internet and technology on politics, society, and the media. He is the editor of the blog Thinking about Media and contributes to The Hotline and to Personal Democracy Forum. Brian is also a contributor to The Age of Conversation. Co-author Dan Solomon is CEO of interactive agency Virilion, helping organizations and institutions transform their ideas into results through digital media. Dan has written for the Washington Post, PRSA Tactics and is a regular source for reporters writing on online advertising and communications. We thank Brian for helping the Socialites gain greater through Media Rules!

Lead with your Heart by Lewis Green. Lewis is the Founder and Managing Principal of L&G Business Solutions bringing three decades of business management experience. In addition to his business experiences, Lewis is a contributor to The Age of Conversation and a former journalist, sports writer, children’s author, and travel writer. His feature articles have appeared in books, magazines and newspapers throughout North America. Lead With Your Heart is his fifth book. Social thanks Lewis for gifting us with 5 copies of his book which were raffled off on Friday and Saturday nights.

Personality Not Included by Rohit Barghava. Rohit is a founding member of the pioneering 360 Digital Influence team at Ogilvy – a leading agency in helping clients navigate the social media universe. He publishes the Influential Marketing blog, ranked among the top 50 marketing blogs in the world, and is often featured as an expert in media including The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Fast Company. Rohit hosted a lively book discussion & idea session with the Socialites and we thank him for being a joyous addition - and for personally hauling all those books to Social!

Powerlines by Steve Cone. Steve was recently appointed chief marketing officer for Epsilon, a leading provider of data-driven marketing technologies and services. Steve has established an industry-wide reputation for programs that drive results, strengthen brands, and deepen customer relationships. With more than thirty-five years at the top of the marketing profession, he has worked with a wide array of major clients and companies. Social thanks Steve for providing his newest book three weeks before publication date. Thanks Steve!

Finally, I have to thank my company, Digitas for supporting the bloggers in its midst, and supporting this important event in so many ways. Extra special thanks to Boston Executive Creative Director, Heath Rudduck, for "getting" the social media thing.