How big is social media these days? Big enough to get its own week. This week is Social Media Week, if you hadn’t heard, and its taking place in nine cities across the globe. It’s a week-long extravaganza of free (or cheap) talks, roundtables, panels, happy hours and other events and we thought we would take a look and give our top five, must-attend events of the week.
Social Media Week is already in full swing, so if you’re just getting started now, you’ve already missed out on a few must-see events, but there’s still several days left, so fret not.
Some events say they’re already sold out, but with events like these, you can’t win if you don’t try. If someone else doesn’t show up, you can always try to grab the newly free spot, so here’s our list of can’t-miss events, with the caveat that some events are listing as full or sold out.
- Ignite San Francisco at Public Works: 6-10 p.m. Tuesday
If you’ve never been to an Ignite event before, it works something like this: Someone gets on stage and they have five minutes to talk about something interesting with 20 slides that automatically change every 15 seconds. - Social Media Club SF Game Night at 330 Ritch: 7- 10 p.m Tuesday (alternate)
If board games, beer, and real-life social networking is your thing, then nevermind going to a talk, grab yourself a brewsky and get to know some folks over classic board games and NES standards like Contra, Excite Bike and more. - A Discussion on Location-Based Social Apps at Madrone Studios: 5-6 p.m Wednesday
Moderated by TechCrunch’s MG Siegler, this event will dive into the idea of location-based social media, one of the hot topics of 2010 and sure to stick around for 2011. Speaking at the event will be Instagram’s Kevin Systrom, Foodspotting’s Alexa Andrzejewski and PicPlz’s Dalton Caldwell. - Why Community Managers Won’t Exists in 5 Years (and why that’s a good thing) at UserVoice: 5-8 p.m Thursday
If you can get into this one, it’s sure to be an interesting conversation. Though the job of the community manager may have been around since the days of BBSes, it’s a relatively new job title and already, we’re calling for its demise. This one is going to be lead by UserVoice community manager Evan Hamilton, who plans on arguing that his own position will be obsolete in five years. According to the event description, if you plan on hurling any rotten fruit, you’ll have to bring your own. - Snackers Lounge Daily Happy Hour at Library Bar: 5-8 p.m. Tuesday thru Thursday
If you’ve had enough for the day and 5 p.m. is quitting time, head over to Library Bar to meet up with the rest of the social media mavens and grab some discounted drinks before continuing with your evening. Who can complain about discounted drinks, right? We’re sure the discussion will revolve around the latest in hashtags, social media analytics and Twitter etiquette, among other topics. - The Future of the Social Web at CBS Interactive: 3:30-4:15 Friday
Moderated by Mashable’s Ben Parr, the panel will consist of The Next Web’s Hermoine Way, Ning CEO Jason Rosenthal and Edelman Digital VP of Social Media Michael Brito. What better way to end your week of social media filled fun than with predictions for the future?
For the full list of events, you can check out the social media channel on Plancast or look at the official listing on the Social Media Week website. Of course, like any list of events, we’ve likely either left something out, passed over a gem or missed out on something entirely, so if you know of some must-see events happening this week in San Francisco, let us know in the comments below…and maybe we’ll see you there!
