Last night Refresh Miami had its monthly meetup, this month at the Kelley Roy Gallery near Midtown Miami. Refresh is a community of web, technology and social media enthusiasts that was founded in 2006 by Brian Breslin and Alex De Carvalho. You can find out more about the larger global community at RefreshCities.org.
One of the cool things about going to Refresh Miami was that I got to meet in person many of the people with whom I had already interacted with over the web. It turns out that last night there was a common theme in the presentations and announcements that were made: I would tag it as “Working Together”. I really appreciate what Alex said about social media interaction over the web:
Social media is not about the platform, it’s about the people.
– Alex De Carvalho
Coworking
First up was a talk by Alex and Brian about Coworking, which I would describe as a new way of working that basically involves sharing: sharing office space, sharing tools, sharing ideas, sharing skills and experience. Coworking is something that is of particular benefit to freelancers, solo entrepreneurs and startups who should be working together rather than just going it alone. It’s obvious that coworking can help you lower overhead costs but as Alex also said at the event:
Coworking is not about the space, it’s about the people.
– Alex De Carvalho
So, consider the benefits of coworking and get involved. If you’re not familiar with Brikolodge then you should be. Brikolodge is Miami’s first coworking facility and it’s run by Ali and Eduardo, two very friendly people who embody the ideal of sharing.
LaidOffCamp & FreelanceCamp Coming to Miami!
Next up at the event was a brief announcement about LaidOffCamp Miami and FreelanceCamp, two BarCamp-style unconferences that I hope to bring to South Florida. The idea is to have an event where freelancers, independents, startups and job seekers can come together, share ideas and opportunities; bottom line…find work. Please follow @LaidOffCampMIA and @FreelanceCampFL for updates and RSVP for the May 15 event on Facebook.
VOIS.com – Global Social Sourcing
Finally, we had a presentation at the event by Craig Agranoff and Herb Tabin from VOIS.com. VOIS.com is a social networking site that is all about connecting people who need projects done with those who can help them. VOIS stands for Virtual Outsourcing is Social. They call their concept “Global Social Sourcing” which combines a lot of the best features of social networking and freelance bidding sites and helps you build long-term relationships for business around the world. Visit VOIS.com – Social Networking for Freelancers, Outsourcing and Coworking!
This was my first time at Refresh Miami and I’m glad I finally made it. Thanks Brian, Alex and the rest of the community for a splendid evening.
It was great to meet you last night as well! I think what you are trying to do for the south florida community is awesome, and we hope to help in any way we can!
By the way it is Craig Agranoff
Thank you Rick for your post. I found you through laidoffcampmiami.org and think this is a great opportunity for entreprenuers in our area. I will definately be attending, as well as looking into the other events and meetups such as Refresh Miami – which I was unaware of! Added to my RSS reader.