TONIGHT'S MEETING POSTPONED!

ACK! Our main speaker for this evening, Mark Calice, has quickly (and, of course, unexpectedly) come down quite ill and will not be able to speak. As Mark was our primary speaker for the evening--and my talk was a secondary and much shorter "intro" piece--I am pained to say that we are going to POSTPONE OUR MEETING UNTIL WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11.

I've just spoken with Mark, he is on board for that new date. I've also spoken with Apple scheduling, we do have a room for the 11th, the very same Garage I space. So, we will move the meeting to 3/11.

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD. Most people will check this blog and/or get the email I am about to send out to the listserv, but some listserv folks are still in digest mode, meaning there is a chance they won't see that message until after this evening.

AGAIN, TONIGHT'S MEETING IS CANCELLED AND HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 11.

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Regarding what was to have been my topic for the evening, Social Media Networking 101, I will at least post some mission-critical "bullet point" info here on the blog by this weekend.

In the meantime, the Cinequest Film Festival starts today, so, going with the old make-lemonade-from-lemons adage, maybe take this opportunity to go out and, you know, actually see a movie.

Meeting: February 25, 7PM, Garage I/II

Yes, we ARE meeting this Wednesday evening, February 25th, at 7:00 pm, in Apple's Garage I/II meeting room.

Agenda:

• DVD Duplication vs. Replication: What You Don't Know...

• Blu-ray Duplication vs. Replication: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

• Fabulous Pizza Break

• Demo Reels

• Social Media Networking 101: WTH is That?

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Back by popular demand! Mark Calice will present a follow-up to his earlier presentation, "DVD Duplication vs. Replication: What You Don't Know...". Mark's original delivery on this topic was so well-received that, due to everybody getting involved in the discussion, we actually had to cut the presentation short! Tonight, we have set aside enough time to fit it all in. 

On top of that, Mark will also include updated and expanded Blu-ray information, including all that is currently known in "Blu-ray Duplication vs. Replication: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly". It's like getting two presentations in one...well...'cuz it is two presentations in one! 

Mark's presentation is structured as an informational Q&A session, so your questions and participation are definitely encouraged.

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Following Mark's preso will be our Fabulous Pizza Break. Once again filling the tummies of Bay Area filmmakers with really good pizza and a variety of soft drinks, the Pizza Break is, as always, free with your unpaid admission!

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Next up will be your Demo Reels. Use our stunning 1080p DLP projection system (complete with Blu-ray player) to show us a work-in-progress, sample clips or a complete short, but please keep the total running time to under 5 minutes.

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Rounding out the evening, Kevin Johnson will present "Social Media Networking 101: WTH is That?". Sure, you've heard of them: Facebook. MySpace. LinkedIn. Twitter. Etc. But, what in the heck are they? Blogging? Micro-blogging? How do these relate to YouTube or Flickr? And, as a creative professional, should you care? Yes, you should! Kevin will give an introduction to these and related social media networking sites, laying out the basics you want to know.

• What are these sites? How do they compare?

• How might you use them to further your career?

• What are the privacy issues? How can you minimize any such dangers?

• What are good resources to get you started?

And, if it just so happens you already are using such sites, please feel free to jump into the conversation with your own experiences or opinions, both pro and con. It's 2009, folks--just having your own website may no longer be enough. (And, no, you do not need to be a 20-something "kid" to benefit...)

Doors open at 6:30. Meetings are free and open to the public. Parking is plentiful and free. 

Reminder: Garage I/II is upstairs in Apple's Building 4 (same location as Town Hall) at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino.