Mediaphyter – A Communications Cocktail

Silicon Valley is a place of great minds. It is a place of great technological innovation. It is the place of idea sharing, partnerships and community.

Unless you’re on Twitter.

Perhaps I exaggerate a smidge but the reality is that during my time on Twitter I have encountered very few Silicon Valley users who share my common interests (technology, social media and hockey). I can understand not finding a lot of Web 2.0 soul mates who are into the latter. Yet I find it almost shocking that in one of country’s most progressive areas, there are very few social media and/or technology geeks in the Bay Area who are using Twitter. (Not that Twitter is the end-all, be-all of technology hipness; as a matter of fact, it’s getting a little old. But it’s a phenomenal networking tool.)

I’d been pondering this for a while and brought it up at lunch a few weeks ago with Ryan Kuder and I shared with him my thoughts on how Silicon Valley seems to be lacking a sense of social media community. In contrast there is an impressive (and almost exhausting) level of social media community in Boston and Chicago. We pale (embarrassingly) in comparison. Yes, there are seem to be some local events that are run through Social Media Club and Shel Israel puts on some good get-togethers. Cathryn Hrudicka even hosted a Jeff Pulver Social Media Breakfast in San Francisco a few days go. But deep in the heart of the Valley — not really much.

So Ryan and I decided to try and shake Twitter up a bit and put together the first Silicon Valley Tweet-Up — happening tomorrow night at NOLA in Palo Alto. I did an exhaustive Terraminds search (well, when Terraminds was working) to try and find local Silicon Valley folks who might want to attend. I think out of 50 people approached (er, nagged) we now have about 20 people who are slated to come. And ya know what? In spite of all of my complaining I’m pretty satisfied with that number. Sure it needs to grow — but it’s a start.

Come on, Silicon Valley. If you’re out there and microblogging let us know. Prove me wrong. Don’t let Boston and Chicago win.