Candidates declare here by end of 12/2

Introduce

Hey everyone. My name's Greg Magarshak, and I would like to enthusiastically apply for this responsibility.

I grew up in New York. This is my home town, and I've been in the tech industry for over ten years. I would love play a bigger part in helping our Big Apple companies grow through new connections

* between innovative startups and investors
* between tech shops and the many fashion and media companies here in NYC
* and with the bright stars who attend this event and meet each other for the first time.

We are not an island, and I would love to have the opportunity to help our tech community establish itself in the broader context of the city we live in. We can use our platform to reach out to other industries and create new opportunities for all of us. I would love to help our ambitious community as the next organizer of NY Tech.

You can find my website and more information on who I am at www.magarshak.com .

(Note: Dawn has since asked us to write 100-word summaries of our platforms. In short, what differentiates me among the candidates is that, if elected, I've announced my intent to work with others as co-Organizers. Taking the NY Tech meetup to the next level will require the combined efforts of a diligent and dedicated team, and this must be more than one person).

I'm writing to submit myself as Organizer of future NY Tech Meetups.

Why?

1) I am a meetup fanatic -- and part of about 20 meetup groups. (I actually also attend the SF New Tech meetups hosted by Myles...when I'm out there, at least )

2) I know what it's like to be up there grilled on the NY Tech Meetup stage ..... I presented my company in April of 2007 (right when we launched).

3) As a member, I realize the power of this meetup community, and I would love to give back to that.

4) At the November meetup, Scott spoke about the possibilities for making NY Tech meetup even greater. My goals as organizer - as brainstormed by Scott and Dawn - would be to:
*Accomodate more people
*Involve more people
*Serve more people
*Wakeup the city

I see these 4 goals as a mandate to bring them to fruition, and would work to do so.

5) I have a history of organizing. I organized several things for the Entrepreneurship club at Stanford's business school ( link ), led a committee at IBM, etc., and am very active in the "informal" new york tech community.

6) Like Scott, I'm a startup founder/CEO ( of CollegeWikis.com, ( link , news ). I will be a lifelong part of the NY tech community, and it would be an honor to help its strength and growth through our centerpiece: the NY Tech meetup.

My professional background is up on linkedin: http://www.linkedin.c... .

That's pretty much it. See you in December!

As co-founder of Price Protectr (video, news ), an internet company with locations in New York City and Silicon Valley, I think I could bring a unique perspective to the NY Tech Meetup as Organizer. I also used to be a pilot, lawyer, and startup consultant, so I have a varied background both organizing, leading, and following. I basically love to help!

Scott brings up some great points in the "PS" of his invitation to be Organizer. I'd like to add some comments.

Scott asked if we can...

...better help NY internet companies grow & thrive?
...better help people find jobs? Can we better help companies find people to hire?
...better help people with a startup idea find partners?
...be a "support group" for members?

NY Tech Meetup can definitely do these things. These three go together. NY's tech meetup can and should be the epicenter of "Silicon Alley," and what better way to do that than to help people accomplish their online dreams through the network?

...serve more people (vs. leaving 7,213 members out in the cold)?

Better partnerships, more events, and sponsorships can do the trick here. Greater participation in Internet Week and a full-blown schedule with side events would also be great. This means motivated, excited people and financial resources.

...command discounts and other benefits together?

Absolutely. Works hand-in-hand with partnerhships, but requires strong bizdev people.

...help save NYC as media, Wall St, & Mad Ave go down?
...work with The City to make NY a better place for internet business?

This is the public-private partnership portion. I've started dialogue on this very subject with city elected officials, and they've expressed some interest in learning more. That's the first step.

...connect/sync with tech communities in other cities?

Again, lots of work but can be done. Creating a greater, nationwide (international?), tech-based interest group would help with setting trends and benchmarking. With the proper organization, people can work together in committees to reach out and interact with other tech communities.

...spark a further explosion of tech community organizing around the city?

With so much talent out of work in the financial community, I can only imagine the entreprenurial opportunity we face. Partnering tech experts and business is a natural fit. Plus, with NYs other major industries and competitive advantages (fashion, TV, theater, retail, pharma, etc), seems like NY Tech meetup is suffering from an abundance of opportunity. Focus, resources, and execution are the main challenges.

...make a powerful institution that isn't like so many lame 20th century institutions?
...better help members actually meet other members?
...be more of a true community -- vs. an event with spectators?

So true. This may be blasphemous, but the web should facilitate human interactions, not replace them. Opportunities to network and brainstorm in person are especially powerful, and the web can help when used effectively.

...serve member needs in sooo many more ways?

Scott's done a great job, and it's exciting to see him offer this opportunity. I'll throw my hat in the ring and hope I can help, win or lose.

Hey everyone,

I'd be honored to do it and run the meetup or be actively involved with helping it. I've been doing events, blogging and community building for the past 2 years and have poured my heart into the community.

I think there is a lot we can do towards building a stronger community here, its a conversation I've had many times, one I am passionate about and would like to help move forward as much as I can in any capacity.

Secondarily, if Dawn decides to run on her own, I will support her.

Whoever ends up doing it, I will be happy to help, lend a hand, share ideas and do my best to make our community as strong as possible. We all benefit from a stronger community with more access to talent, resources and capital. In theory we have it all but it needs to be brought together in a cohesive manner, especially in these dire economic times.

The ideas that come to mind the quickest are: (i'm not taking credit for these ideas, Owen Davis and other have been talking about them for the last few years - but we need a concerted community effort to pull it off and MeetUp being the hub has the potential to be the support pillar)

1. Establishing a mentoring program and more education featuring some of the serial entrepreneurs in town

2. Greater involvement with the city of NY

3. Creating an "open office hours" program with various investors in town, angel and funds so that entrepreneurs can get rapid fire feedback and to establish trust and relationships.

4. Bringing the corporates into the community - there are so many F1000 companies based here and it would be amazing if we could get them in the community because most (at least in good times) have investment arms and all buy lots of stuff and have lots of great tech people. There is just a huge disconnect. I'm helping the Software & Information Industry Association with an event geared towards doing this, Brian over there is passionate about it too and we need to do more of it and bring the outside fragments of the community into its epicenter - because, well literally that's where the money is.

5. Find a founder. I agree with james on this one - there should be some sort of list serv where people can post startup opportunities for others join in and find partners. simple but could be very effective.

I have a number of existing resources to bring to the table in the form of Bootstrapper.com, all of my events including my BootstrapperSummit.com conference, my relationships with many bloggers and conference producers in the media and advertising space (I program a few major conferences), The Connectors Group (connectorsny.com) , a new angel investment group I'm a founding member of and I'm a co-founder in www.Groupable.com - a marketplace connecting Groups (such as NY Tech) & Sponsors.

Some people love me, others hate me, but no one can question my dedication to the community.

Richie

Hello NY Tech-ers! I would like to announce my candidacy for Organizer of the NY Tech Meetup.

Every month I help Scott and Dawn prepare for our monthly meetups by managing the registration and the front door registration volunteers. I understand what goes into putting on our events and with me at the helm, I can promise a smooth transition.

I have the experience to run the NY Tech Meetup:

I was part of the organizing team behind the 2008 Personal Democracy Forum, an annual conference all about the intersection of politics and technology. I know what goes into putting up a tremendous conference like PDF and would like to bring my knowledge to NYTM.

I am the Founder of a consumer activist movement called BuycottForChange.org. Our mission is to find and support local New York businesses that act in innovative and socially/environmentally responsible ways by showing up en masse and buying their goods.

I started BuycottForChange.org an hour after my first conversation ever with Scott Heiferman. Conversations in person are critical to making ideas like this happen – after all, this is why we MEETUP. This is what I intend to bring to NYTM.

• In my first three months as Organizer of NYTM, I would come to the office of any member who was willing to meet with me and hear your ideas, in person. Think of it as a Personal NY Tech Meetup. I want to know what it is you do, and how Meetups can help you. The more we can engage in this conversation, the more we will know where to take NYTM. There are over 7,500 great minds in this organization, we need a more effective conversation than one that is just emails and discussion posts.
  
• NYTM needs to become a better hub for developers and startups. We should be working more with local schools, colleges, and universities to let students know of all the opportunities that are available to them.
  
• If this is an organization that intends on growing, we need to find more corporate sponsorship. I solicited sponsorship for 2008 Personal Democracy Forum and understand how helpful this will be. There are opportunities for raising money that are just being lost right now - I would solve that problem.
  

I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can at the next Meetup and hope to hear your ideas. Scott has done an amazing job with this organization and I intend on helping his work expand and grow stronger.

Til then,
Joshua Sherman

NY Tech-Meet-up Team:

Clearly the NY Tech Meet-up is a great asset as demand now exceeds what the original founders could have ever imagined - great work!

The NY Tech Meet-up is now at a crucial inflection point and needs a road-map, organization and experienced leadership to evolve the event and maximize the benefits that can be attained while maintaining the core values set by the founders.

In my professional opinion we do not need "radical" changes to what is a smart, fun and interesting monthly event. I maintain that we as a community do not want a stuffy/boring event that so many of the Industry "trade-shows" have become.

However, with 7,000 plus members we need to consider how to harness that smart energy for the benefit of the NY based tech community - and provide maximum value to our core constituents.

On December 9th I will propose a simple and focused plan to maintain the spirit of the event while also maximizing the potential of this vibrant community.

I look forward to presenting to you and thank you in advance for your votes!

Sincerely,

Chip Welsh
President
The Brodia Group
www.brodiagroup.com

My name is Sanford Dickert, and I am running for New York Tech Meetup Organizer

As many of you know, I am running for the NY Tech Meetup Organizer. Since people have been asking questions, I wanted to provide a place for people to learn more about my thoughts on what I think NYTM can evolve into.

Due to the increasing "campaigning" I have seen for this role, I was suggested to redirect the nytechvision.com to this post, but support the NYTM Manifesto link and ask for your feedback.

If you'd like to help in defining the future of NYTech Meetup and want to contribute to the NYTM Manifesto, please send me an email at sdickert at google's service.

Who Is Sanford?
My background ranges from Silicon Valley (from 1989 to 2000) to London (2000 to 2004) to DC (2003 to 2004) and New York (2004+) working in the technology arena - in startups (eGroups, gigabeat, Paypal, hotrecruit) to large corps (Accenture, Interoute) to politics (John Kerry for President) to NGOs/Academia (Stanford, Cooper Union, Purdue).

I have been behind a number of organizations all through out the years - focusing on the growth and improving the performance of the organizations - whether for corporates or communities. One I brought over from London was Decom - which you can see the details here.

My measure of success in creating and building organizations is always measured by the growth of the community - and the people within the community that I have helped improve over time. Being a teacher for more than twenty years (I started teaching when I was 14!) has aligned with the joy I feel in bringing about amazing people.

One unique thing I believe I have is that I am beholden to no organization, person or benefactor other than the NY Tech Community and the team I am with. Our success in NYTM and the NY Tech Community as a whole will be something that all of us are part of - and all of the benefits will be directed to the community at-large.

Endorsements
I don't usually ask for "endorsements", but recently, Tony Bacigalupo - a friend from cooBric and New Work City put this in his personal blog:

Sanford Dickert is a good friend, and his influence on coworking in NYC speaks to his ability to facilitate healthy growth by empowering people. New Work City and I are living proof that Sanford can positively influence a community while simultaneously staying away from monopolizing it so it can grow healthily on its own. He gave me what I needed to build what is, in my opinion, a kickass community that is going to continue to do a lot of cool stuff.

After Scott’s announcement, Sanford also did something commendable: he built a public manifesto, to be edited by anyone, and invited everyone to share their perspective. This is the kind of approach the organizer should take when running the whole Meetup.

Sanford is a busy guy, but so should everyone who is running for this position be— would we want to elect someone who had nothing else to do? What makes his candidacy intriguing is his penchant for delegation and for empowering the right people to take responsibility and do what they are best at. The organizer is going to have to pay their bills doing something else, so it will be critical that the organizer be comfortable delegating.

If you'd like to show your support for my candidacy in bringing about a stronger NY Tech Community - please vote for me.

And come to my blog: sanford.blogspot.com and tell why you support either me or other people - I am here to listen. And others are watching.

Manifesto
See it here: http://bit.ly/nytmm...

The Manifesto is about bringing talent together to manage, maintain and grow the team of the NYTM such that we can see targeted content when need be, work with other groups and constituencies when possible - but never take our eyes off the ball in bringing quality content and events to the NYTM.

Basic platform
I believe the NYTM is fundamentally well-done and has a lot of positives. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are few changes I would make. But the three fundamental metrics for the NYTM are presentation, education and collaboration. You can see these discussed in detail at the NYTM Manifesto (http://bit.ly/nytmm)....

The future of the NY Tech Community is where I think the role has some influence - in so much as working with the community at large - both the 7500+ members, as well as the overwhelming number of people in the Tech Community found in other groups - this is where NYTM can help channel and elevate the NY Tech Community.

One major part of this platform is the vision of working together. As I mentioned in the presentation - there are a host of people looking to help grow this community - nine of them took the stage on Tuesday night.

If I am elected to the position, there is no way I will turn away the candidates from the stage to join me in building NYTM. The NYTM Manifesto describes a "council of Presidents" or an Executive Board - of which I believe the people within the community will fill and serve. I am fully behind making this happen - and working with all members of the community to make a stronger NY Tech Community.

You can see my vision presentation here: http://tinyurl.com/6q...

Prior Experience

• Co-organizer of cooperBricolage - NY coworking
  
• Co-organizer of New Work City
  
• 12 years in Silicon Valley - started a number of companies, and successful exits
  
• Co-organizer of cooperBricolage - NY coworking
  
• former Adjunct Professor, Cooper Union and Polytechnic
  
• Director, Rawlings Atlantic Ltd and Inc.
  
• CTO, John Kerry Campaign
  
• Director of Product Marketing, eGroups (acquired by Yahoo!)
  
• Board of Advisors, Paypal
  
• Board of Directors, eZoka and SelectivesUK
  

Hi, All,

I'm writing to endorse my friend Oz Sultan as NY Tech Meet-Up organizer. I've personally been involved in the interactive community in NYC since its inception, and was one of the first women to join this meetup as well.

Here's Oz's platform, and I hope you'll feel as strongly about his candidacy as do I:


A bit of Background: I've worked inside of a number of tech communities – namely Pittsburgh, PA and Orange County, CA (99' in NYC) during Web 1.0 and in Albany, NY thereafter. More recently I have been heavily involved in driving new technologies and startups within the NYC scene during Web 2.0. You've probably attended one of the Nextweb (Web 2.0 meetup) events that I've co-hosted with Brett Petersel and I may have met you along the course of networking. If not, here's a virtual handshake extending my greetings now ^_^


Over the course of my career I've worked with Politicians, NPOs, NGOs, startups, hedge funds, VCs and numerous enterprise technology companies. I've engaged economic development and state agencies before and am adept at getting things done. My vision – to get us back on track to building bridges between technology, PR, marketing , capital markets, legal and affiliated service industries.


My proposal – Five points for the NYTech Meetup:

1. Engage the State / City. In Pittsburgh I worked closely with the Mayor's office and the Pittsburgh Technology council. I believe in a position of leadership I could help us engage city resources in a way that would allow startups to tap into the help that NYC and Albany want to deliver.

2. Engage the Colleges. At CMU I worked with Richard Florida and several TTOs (Technology Transfer Offices) to figure out amenities that build sustainable cities. We can leverage our Institutions of higher learning to access Intern and experienced Human capital – a much needed resource within the community.

3. Engage the community. Leverage existing partnerships within the community to allow both enterprise and startup assets to be leveraged by the community at large. Develop a centralized calendaring system and begin both streamed video and collaborative events with the LA / SF scenes. Additionally – 1 -2x a year NYC should have it's own version of TWIISTUP.

4. Develop a community engagement strategy: Richie Hecker recently pulled together the leaders of a number of groups to discuss an umbrella organization. I tender, per suggestions from both Mike Gruen and Nate Westheimer, that we should put together a council that meets on a bi-monthly / bi-monthly basis similar to the CMO club, CIO roundtable or other leadership forums. With all parties involves – we can ensure a more meaningful future for the NYC tech scene.

5. Ensure the participation of Women's and affiliated groups with the NYTech Meetup and the proposed community engagement strategy. A key criteria for success will be the development of partnerships with leading Women's tech organizations (WebGrrls, Girls in Tech, Ladies who Launch, et al) as well as affiliated industry members or groups. Mixed gender participation and access to Legal, HR, PR, Marketing and affiliated services is key to any burgeoning or healthy startup community.


Lastly, I should mention, I would be resigning from Nextweb and assigning my duties there to Israel Mirsky, if elected.


Thanks for your time and regardless – let's work to make NYC a more successful space for technology at large.

Oz