The document provides an annual report for TweetUp Kalamazoo, a group that connects Twitter users in person in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It summarizes the group's activities and events in 2010-2011, including photo competitions, fundraising for an oil spill, and debates on social media topics. It details the goals and outcomes of events like raising $745 for environmental cleanup. The report aims to gather feedback to improve future programming and engagement with the local social media community.

1. AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
tweetupkzoo@gmail.com | Twitter @tweetupkzoo | Facebook www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo
Basic Information
Founded April 2010 -2010-
Location Kalamazoo, Michigan
About TweetUp Kalamazoo (#tweetupkzoo) connects 4/30 Personal Branding
Twitter users face-to-face in Kalamazoo/Portage Kim Bode, 834Baba
to have important conversations about social 6/4 Art Hop Edition - Photo Competition
media and our community. 7/14 Social Media Management Tools
Overview A tweetup is when digital turns into face-to-face, Roundtable Discussion
140 characters into a meaningful conversation, 8/20 Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Fundraiser
a recognizable position on a blog into an ability Daisy Rizzo, Carl Brown, Bethany Gauthier
to listen. 8/29 Fundraiser Pt. 2: Bowl-a-thon
Mission Connecting Twitter users in Kalamazoo and Bethany Gauthier/Airway Lanes
Portage to engage in important conversations in 10/1 The Social Network movie
the community. Rave Motion Pictures
Facebook 258 Likes 11/19 Social Media Battles
Twitter 293 Followers Single v. Multiple Profiles
Bethany Gauthier, Allison Winter,
Highlights Of The Year Classic v. New Retweet
Art Hop Edition - Photo Competition Daniel Peterson, Bill Playford,
Quality v. Quantity of Followers
John Clark, Carl Brown,
Foursquare Check-in At Work/Home
Enrique Martinez (Pro), Eric Schmidt (Con)
12/17 Month OFF: #MovieUp TRON Legacy
Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Fundraiser
We raised a total of $745 for the Kalamazoo River -2011-
Environmental Fund (Delivered to CFACC in Battle Creek on
9/15/2010) and a huge tote container full of donation items 1/21 Celebration! Cinema
Presenter series
(Delivered to Donation Center 9/16/2010). Jeremy Bronson
Social Media Battles 2/18 SmashBurger
The Social Media Battles was developed by Dan Zarrella Bisera Urdarevik
from Hubspot. Each battle will be composed of 2 people 3/18 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
representing opposing viewpoints on a social media topic. Shannon Paul
They’ll each be given 2 minutes to make their case, and 1 4/15 Pure Michigan
minute rebuttals to their opponents, then the audience will Stanford Smith
decide the winner. Fast, simple and honest.
Presenter Series January - April 2011 Questions To Ponder For Next Year:
As part of #tweetupkzoo tradition of networking and learning What type of programming would like to see in
from one another about social media, we secured several avid the next year?
social media users from various industries to share with us
a piece of their social media mastermind. See video recaps What feedback would you like to give us?
online or on Facebook. How do you see yourself getting involved in
TweetUp Kalamazoo?

2. Highlights Of The Year: Art Hop Edition - Photo Competition
“A picture paints more than 140 characters”
The goal of this tweetup on June 4, 2010 was to encourage
participants to visit a staple activity of the Kalamazoo community
called the Art Hop - held every first Friday of the month - while
sharing photos with other Twitter users. This was a simple way to give
new Twitter users the opportunity to try photo sharing via Twitter and
seasoned users to integrate social media into local art exploration.
Competition Overview:
Qualifying photos for the competition must be tagged with the hash
tag #tweetupkzoo in the tweet in order for it to qualify as a submission.
Total qualifying submissions received was 39 photos.
Participants had the opportunity to post their pictures by midnight that
same day to Twitter. Some participants did not have a cameraphone, as
such digital cameras were allowed as long as they shared pictures on
Twitter.
Submissions were limited to up to five photos. Out of the five photos,
three of them had to come from one of the eight pre-selected Art Hop
destinations. Art Hop printed guides were handed out and users of
Foursquare could view Art Hop destinations
via pop up “Tips” in the mobile application.
Foursquare venues were tagged and tipped by Sara J. Owen and Sarah Lee.
Foursquare venue verification and art hop tagging by Matt Van Dyk.
Submissions were judged by Katie Hallin, marketing manager for Venture Foods,
Inc., and Sarah Lee, founder and organizer of TweetUp Kalamazoo. Two top winners
were selected: Bethany Gauthier from Miller Auditorium and Eric Schmidt from
Frogsplash. Prizes given away were a wind up toy called “Cranky,” The Wine Loft VIP
discount passes, and Fire Bowl Cafe discount vouchers.
AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
tweetupkzoo@gmail.com | Twitter @tweetupkzoo | Facebook www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo

3. Highlights Of The Year: Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Fundraiser
“An important conversation that we couldn’t walk away from”
TweetUp Kalamazoo had the opportunity to engage in a fundraiser for a
cause that many of our members felt strongly about - the Kalamazoo River
oil spill that began in Marshall early August. In fact a hefty Twitter discussion
ensued under the hashtags #kzoooilspill #tweetupkzoo that gave us the
direction we needed to pursue for this fundraiser.
Leveraging our group’s momentum for a good cause was a step in the right
direction. It helped us integrate what we love to do (social media) and engaging
in the community that we live in by focusing on the issues that matter most
to Kalamazoo. As noted on our Facebook page and Twitter bio, “TweetUp
Kalamazoo connects Twitter users face-to-face in Kalamazoo/Portage to have
important conversations about social media and our community.” This was an
important conversation that we couldn’t walk away from.
Fundraiser Overview:
Two to three weeks prior to the August 20, 2010 tweetup, four members who volunteered gathered together
to set up this fundraiser - Sarah Lee, Carl Brown, Bethany Gauthier and Daisy Rizzo.
We decided to raise funds for the Kalamazoo River Environmental Fund (Hosted by the Community Foundation
Alliance of Calhoun County) and collect item donations for the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Donation Center.
Three main strategies we chose which gave everyone the opportunity to participate:
1. Selling raffle tickets and all proceeds will be donated (*Note: Due to constraints at the time set forth by CFACC, we were unable to do online fundraising)
2. Secure local businesses as drop off locations
3. Secure partnering businesses to donate to the cause
Promotion of the event via social media (Twitter and Facebook) and fliers/posters to increase awareness of
drop off locations and fundraiser.
Selling raffle tickets and all proceeds will be donated
Raffle items were all donated and we secured all of them through either personal connections or
corresponding via social media. The ticket sales were simple - $5 per ticket, the more you bought the cheaper
the tickets. We also encouraged participants to donate items by giving a raffle ticket for every item donated.
We raised $427 within two hours from raffle ticket sales alone (which included a last minute cupcake sale of $5).
* Two tickets to Last Comic Standing by Miller Auditorium (@milleraud) - via @beegibs
* WICKED prize packs with a baseball cap and umbrella by Miller Auditorium (@milleraud) - via @beegibs
* One free night stay at Staybridge by Staybridge Suites ($115 value) - via @staybridgekzoo
* Cupcakes from Confection Bakery - via Facebook, Giti Henrie
* Gift Basket from The Victorian Bakery - through a TweetUp member’s recommendation and Facebook, Maria
* $30 Gift Certificate to PixelAndHank - via @pixelandhank
* $10 Gift Certificate to Sticks & Stones - via Facebook, Susan
* “Yes We Did: An Inside Look At How Social Media Built The Obama Brand” ($25 value) - via @SarahLWLee
* $25 Gift Certificate to Wine Loft (@wineloftwmich) - via Katie Hallin
* 2 Free Entrees Gift Certificate to Fire Bowl Cafe (@FireBowlCafeWMI) - via Katie Hallin
* $10 Gift Certificate to SmashBurger (@SmashBurgerWMI) - via Katie Hallin
Report continues on the next page...
AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
tweetupkzoo@gmail.com | Twitter @tweetupkzoo | Facebook www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo

4. Highlights: Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Fundraiser (Continue)
Secure local businesses as drop off locations
We needed more locations for people to drop off donations but more
importantly to give people an opportunity beyond the TweetUp to
participate. The TweetUp volunteers secured the locations shortly
after the first meeting. Each location received some donations though
not alot. In fact majority of the donations came from a lady who
spoke to Daisy Rizzo at I Heart Ipanema. Sarah Lee met up with this
lady and received bags of item donations. In addition there were cash
donations dropped off at some of the locations, total of $53.
Secure partnering businesses to donate to the cause
Wine Loft has been a gracious host for the TweetUps and when we
floated the fundraiser idea by them, they offered a great idea in
return! Ten percent of the Wine Loft’s proceeds from the evening of
the TweetUp was donated to the cause which came up to a total of
approximately $100.
Airway Lanes approached us with another fundraising idea with a
bowl-a-thon and we thought it would be a good idea especially the
location being family-friendly. Bethany Gauthier coordinated the
event and the deal was three bowling games for $20. A portion of the
proceeds paid for bowling facilities at cost and the rest went straight into the fundraiser, which raised a total of
$115 straight into the fund.
Promotion of the event via social media (Twitter and Facebook) and fliers/posters to increase awareness of
drop off locations and fundraiser
Daisy Rizzo as part of Ignertia offered her designing and print services to create graphics, posters and fliers for
the fundraiser effort. In fact she even tried to get Matt Giraud to come out to Wine Loft to sing or just show
up. Unfortunately he couldn’t make it but he did give TweetUp Kalamazoo a shout out on his Facebook page
regarding the fundraiser, which we thought wasn’t too bad.
INTERESTING OUTCOMES:
1. Media Attention - Well this came as a surprise as we started spreading the word, several media people got
wind of the event through Twitter or one of the planning team members. TweetUp Kalamazoo appeared on
the following:
Kalamazoo Gazette with James Sanford (with Bethany Gauthier assistance)
WWMT Channel 3 with Kate Tillotson (with Dan Moyle’s assistance)
WKZO with Lori Moore
Second Wave Media with Kathy Jennings
WRKR Morning Show with Diane and Ramone (with Dan Moyle’s assistance)
2. Professional photographer Chris McGuire - Daisy Rizzo got McGuire Photography to take photos at tweetup
3. Increased Awareness of TweetUp Kalamazoo - The group gained a better presence in Kalamazoo and on
Twitter but the most obvious growth was on the Facebook group - grew immensely from 80 to 150 likes during
that period.
4. Increased Awareness in Business Community - Growing interest from the business community to attend
TweetUp Kalamazoo to connect with the social media community in Kalamazoo as well as to learn more how
to leverage social media.
5. Final Tally - We raised a total of $745 for the Kalamazoo River Environmental Fund (Delivered to CFACC in
Battle Creek on 9/15) and a huge tote container full of donation items (Delivered to Donation Center 9/16).
AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
tweetupkzoo@gmail.com | Twitter @tweetupkzoo | Facebook www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo

5. Highlights Of The Year: Social Media Battles
“Quick-fire debates between two opposing viewpoints - a rematch may be in order”
The Social Media Battles was developed by Dan Zarrella from HubSpot.
Each battle was composed of two people representing opposing
viewpoints on a social media topic. Each were given 2 minutes to make
their case, and 1 minute rebuttals to their opponents, then the audience
will decide the winner. Fast, simple and honest. Winner in light blue.
Battle topics:
1. Single (Bethany Gauthier) vs. Multiple Profiles (Allison Winter)
There has been a lot of talk about having separate profiles for personal
and business on Twitter. However, everyone has polar opposite opinions
on it. Look at Mashable account where you have Pete Cashmore as the
face of Mashable and only uses a single account for business. On the other hand having it separate would be
handy to keep personal opinions separate from the organization’s messaging. So why is it important or even
necessary? Will it make a difference? What if you are the business/brand?
2. Foursquare Check-ins at Work/Home (Enrique Martinez, Pro v. Eric Schmidt, Con)
Foursquare has taken off dramatically as one of the most popular
geo-location mobile application. In addition to it’s popularity, many
questions that have led to heated debates have been brought up as
to whether checking in to your work place or home is a valid location
to check into. Some have commented that checking in to your home
or work place is not in the spirit of what Foursquare was intended for.
Furthermore, what if your work place doesn’t have the feature where
staff checks in separately? Should checking in to your work place or
home count as a valid mayorship to claim major Foursquare badges
such as “Super Mayor”?
3. Followers: Quality (John Clark) vs. Quantity (Carl Brown)
One of the major questions, every business or online personality has asked is “How do I grow my followers on
Twitter?”. Truly the better question is do you want quality or quantity from your followership? Indeed the more
followers you have, it affects your Klout score dramatically, but your influence score is not solely dependent on
the number of followers. It is in the conversations that you have with your followers - the social engagement.
However, many social media aficionados do not always agree on this topic. On one hand having a larger
followership leads to greater influence and also perhaps a larger engaged knowledge bank to draw from. But
how do you manage all these conversations and have meaningful interactions with thousands of followers?
4. Twitter Retweet Classic (Daniel Peterson) v. Retweet New (Bill Playford)
Twitter is constantly wowing us with a variety of experimental features
and many of which we have taken a stand to say which one is better than
the other. Or at least to define the ups and downs of these features.
Retweet Classic gives you the ability to edit the tweet you are planning
on retweeting prior to posting, where as Retweet New does not give
you an editing capabilities. How important is it to have a tweet that has
been edited to include your comments? You could easily attribute to the
tweeter in a new post or hit the reply button and respond. At the same
time, Retweeting the whole tweet without editing would simplify the
process of tracking the depth and influence of that particular tweet. Is
this truly a question of preference or does either one have an upperhand
that we are unaware of?
AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
tweetupkzoo@gmail.com | Twitter @tweetupkzoo | Facebook www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo

6. Highlights Of The Year: Presenter Series January - April 2011
“A piece from the social media masterminds”
As part of TweetUp Kalamazoo tradition of networking and learning from one another about social media, we
secured several avid social media users from various industries to share with us a piece of their social media
mastermind. The presenter series came about as a way
Watch the video recaps online on Facebook or at www.vimeo.com/tweetupkzoo.
January
Celebration! Cinema - Jeremy Bronson
Jeremy Bronson (@jbrons) is the e-marketing coordinator at Celebration!
Cinema. He previously worked at the DeltaPlex Arena in Grand Rapids, where
he currently resides, and the Graduate Library in Ann Arbor. When he’s not
maintaining Facebook pages or designing websites he enjoys watching movies
(go figure), visiting Lake Michigan, skiing, Michigan football, and photography.
February
SmashBurger - Bisera Urdarevik
Bisera Urdarevik (@BiseraU), owner of Lush Gourmet Foods (@lushgourmet),
is a senior at Kendall College in Chicago completing her bachelor’s in Food &
Beverage management. In October 2010, she began her internship with Venture
Foods Inc. and has been managing both SmashBurger and The Wine Loft’s social
media outlets. Her interests include cooking, baking, entertaining, traveling,
reading and snowboarding.
March
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan - Shannon Paul
ShannonPaul (@shannonpaul) is the social media manager at Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Michigan. She writes about social media for business on her blog called
VeryOfficialBlog.com. Most recently Shannon was recruited to manage social
media for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan where she oversees the use of social
media throughout the enterprise. Her previous experience includes managing
social media for the online division of PEAK6, a privately held financial services
company, and creating the first social media strategy for the NHL Detroit Red Wings.
April
Pure Michigan - Stanford Smith
Stanford Smith (@pushingsocial) is vice president of marketing at Fluency Media,
a full-service interactive agency, and blogs at PushingSocial.com. Stan has worked
with clients including The State of Michigan, Quiznos, the Detroit CVB, and other
prominent organizations. When he is not blogging or playing with his boys, he is
fishing for the mythical 10 pound bass in Southeast Michigan lakes.
AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
tweetupkzoo@gmail.com | Twitter @tweetupkzoo | Facebook www.facebook.com/tweetupkzoo