Florida Creatives – Creating a Community of Innovation

Hi,
My name is Cory, and I've been lurking around the site for quite a while now. Don't be confused though, you've probably met me at any one of the Florida Creatives events at the Bayou. Anytime I can have a Guinness and Cajun food, I'm in.

I won't bore all of you with the details of me and who I am. Rather, I'd like to expand on something I wrote in a comment earlier about community involvement in Central Florida. I had mentioned that instead of bickering amongst each other, like politicians getting votes with negative ads, we should try to work together, where appropriate.

Alex Williams, a New York Times reporter, sent out a request through the Likemind organizers mailing list asking a few questions about the event that has grown to be an international affair every month. Here is a sample of his article:

To Erin Middleton, a 27-year-old brand strategist in Dallas, the word “networking” calls to mind “stodgy business types in suits,” who are “very uncomfortable and poor at engaging conversation,” she said in an e-mail message.

Melissa Clark, an advertising account manager in Minneapolis, said there is “something smarmy” about the word.

Peter Bihr, 28, a media consultant in Berlin, was even stronger in his denunciation. “ ‘Networking,’ as a word, makes me feel like I get a physical reaction, I hate the term so much,” he wrote in an e-mail message. “It sounds all like strategically talking to people and trying to be their friends. It’s not authentic.”

So, what exactly, are these three doing at 8 a.m. on the third Friday of each month, meeting with other young professionals at their local coffeehouse?

They are participating in likemind, a monthly kaffeeklatsch for creative professionals, held in 55 cities around the world, including Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Malmo, Sweden.

Read the rest of the Likemind article on the New York Times' website

The article calls out the no-agenda, no-hard-sell nature of Likemind, the differences with Meetup.com events, the similarity to Unconferences, or Green Drinks, and even gives some literary reference.

Our next Likemind in Orlando (or anywhere else) will be Friday, December 5th. Jim Hathaway and Ryan Price are the co-organizers of the Orlando Likemind.

If you work in marketing, design, advertising, or something more squirrely, please check out Likemind, the conversation and the coffee are never cold, and always welcome in the morning.

Likemind.us started over 2 years ago in New York when two guys decided having a good conversation over coffee and talking to a likeminded person would be better than doing it virtually. Now they are in 50+ cities on 6 continents, including: Ankara (Turkey), Shanghai, Bucharest and Frankfurt. On the same day, people in these cities and 40 other places around the globe, other likeminded individuals will be getting together for some good coffee and conversation.

Coffee sponsorship ($25 is plenty) could be kindly paid for by your employer.

Last year at BlogOrlando we had a session called 'The Orlando Scene'. The concept was to bring together folks for different backgrounds to talk about things like cow-orking, start-ups, etc. It's a year later, so what's changed? We gathered some of the local area leaders to talk over what's going on in Orlando.

Watch more live videos from BlogOrlando

BlogOrlando session notes by Tim Welch

groups

florida creatives

barcamp orlando/ tampa/ chaos
doterati
likemind
digital media alliance florida
colab / coworking

ucf incubator program

user groups

ruby
python
java

upcoming events

convergence
create chaos
ignite orlando

the knowledge shop [lab for hire]

florida creative wiki has:

• event calendar
• wireless locations
• is user generated

Location(s)

outdoor coffees, originally uploaded by fazen.

Likemind.us started over 2 years ago in New York when two guys decided having a good conversation over coffee and talking to a likeminded person would be better than doing it virtually. Now they are in 50+ cities on 6 continents, including: Ankara (Turkey), Shanghai, Bucharest and Frankfurt. On the same day, people in these cities and 40 other places around the globe, other likeminded individuals will be getting together for some good coffee and conversation.

Coffee sponsorship ($25 is plenty) could be kindly paid for by your employer.

If you love Orlando and you want to find other people of a like mind, you've come to the right place. Chris and Ryan and some friends get together once a month before work to have a good conversation. Come talk about anything, exchange emails, share stories and walk away with a smile on your face ready to face the last day of the week knowing you have made some new friends this week.

Panera is at the corner of Robinson St and Eola Drive on the North East corner of the lake.

Location(s)

Likemind.us just added a few more cities: Ankara (Turkey), Shanghai, Bucharest and Frankfurt. On the same day, people in these cities and 40 other places around the globe, other likeminded individuals will be getting together for some good coffee and conversation.

Coffee sponsorship ($25 is plenty) could be kindly paid for by your employer. Last month, we were given free copies of the "Buying In" (Murketing) book.

Location(s)

Likemind.us just added a few more cities: Ankara (Turkey), Shanghai, Bucharest and Frankfurt. On the same day, people in these cities and 40 other places around the globe, other likeminded individuals will be getting together for some good coffee and conversation.

Coffee sponsorship ($25 is plenty) could be kindly paid for by your employer. Last month, we were given free copies of the "Buying In" (Murketing) book.

Location(s)

Likemind.us just added a few more cities: Ankara (Turkey), Shanghai, Bucharest and Frankfurt. On the same day, people in these cities and 40 other places around the globe, other likeminded individuals will be getting together for some good coffee and conversation.

Coffee sponsorship ($25 is plenty) could be kindly paid for by your employer. Last month, we were given free copies of the "Buying In" (Murketing) book.

Location(s)

Likemind.us just added a few more cities: Ankara (Turkey), Shanghai, Bucharest and Frankfurt. On the same day, people in these cities and 40 other places around the globe, other likeminded individuals will be getting together for some good coffee and conversation.

Coffee sponsorship ($25 is plenty) could be kindly paid for by your employer.

Location(s)

Likemind.us just added a few more cities: tokyo, shanghai, bucharest and frankfurt. On the same day, people in these cities and 40 other places around the globe, other likeminded individuals will be getting together for some good coffee and conversation.

Coffee sponsorship ($25 is plenty) could be kindly paid for by your employer. I think Rasmussen College is helping out this month.

likemind.orl on the map

Originally uploaded by Liberatr.net.

Every third Friday, likeminded kids all over the world get together to have coffee, wear nametags and have good conversations. That means this Friday, and that means that between 8 and 11 AM we'll be enjoying Manny's hospitality at the B&S Daily Market. As for myself, I'll be at Likemind in London, participating in a very similar experience, 5 hours earlier in the day.

On Monday, our Florida Creatives Happy Hour comes around once again. Between 6 and 9 PM the Crooked Bayou will serve us up with fried pickles, tater tots, beers, gumbo, po boys and lots of other cajun-influenced treats.

If you've never been, or if you came months ago (or over a year ago), now is a great time to get in the habit of attending regularly.

RSVP & Event Info

Monday, January 21, 2008
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Crooked Bayou
50 E Central Blvd #D
Orlando, FL

Yes, it's the first month of the new year, but the holiday hangovers are a long-gone memory. It's just the right time to head downtown for a drink!

Come meet some new people, catch up with old friends and get a clue about what's going on in the coming year.

Here's your last-minute reminder that the next Florida Creatives Happy Hour is TODAY, Monday, October 15th from 6 to 9 PM at the Crooked Bayou on Central downtown. Parking at all meters downtown is free after 6, and Crooked Bayou always has 2 for 1 drafts and wells until 7PM. If anyone wants to get there earlier than 6, I know a few people have expressed interest in showing up a little earlier to have time to eat. This month should be a great time if September's events (BlogOrlando, BarCamp) have done anything for filling people with the creative spirit.

Two events coming up soon. Also, notice some tasty blog bait I just posted. Florida Creative Summit will happen one day. You'll see. Until then, keep coming to the monthlies and making our communities proud and strong.

likemind.orl
Friday, August 17th
8:00 - 11:00 AM
B & S Daily Market
47 E Robinson St
Orlando, FL

Florida Creatives Happy Hour
Monday, August 20th
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Crooked Bayou

Likemind.orl Photoset

Top: Dave, John

Our monthly "coffee and coworking" event is happening this Friday, Likemind.orl, sponsored by Anomaly. Piers and Noah will be celebrating one year of Likemind.us in New York, and we're going to help them (sleepily) in Orlando by drinking coffee near Lake Eola at an early hour. There will be nametags, Alex, Ryan (me) and a small cast of people who work downtown. We are encouraged to take pictures (I'm thinking video, less caption-writing...) and upload them to flickr tagged with "likemind".

For the uninformed, Florida Creatives Happy Hour takes place each Third Monday of the month (March 19th), and for now happens at the Crooked Bayou on Central Ave in Downtown Orlando. We make it easy to attend after work, from 6PM - 9PM -- people generally stay all the way to the end, so don't feel bad about showing up late. There is no admission fee or really any rules of engagement, but I recommend you bring business cards and open ears.