Here are a few things upcoming for the metro DC area, culled from DCTechEvents.com, Social Media Club DC, and other sources. While by no means comprehensive, if you know of an event, leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list.

(Oh, and I’m not saying I’m going to be at every one of these. That would be… challenging.)

August

* Wednesday, August 19 – Washington Blogger Meetup. Free; a casual, mostly social gathering of bloggers of all stripes. 7pm, Madam’s Organ (2nd floor) in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC.

* Thursday, August 20 – Social Matchbox DC. $15. “Speed dating for geeks” (I’m telling you, Bob, slap a trademark on that), with presentations from startups looking for talent, along with the usual networking. 6:30pm, E Street Cinema, DC

Also, that night, Refresh DC’s August Meetup. Free. This design-focused talk is entitled, “From Goya to Google: Traditional Design Principles at Work on the Web.” 7pm, AARP in DC.

* Wednesday, August 26 – DC Media Makers. Free. This edition is a mashup free-for-all, so bring your hardware and participate in your medium of choice. 6:30pm, NPR in DC.

Wednesday is also DC’s First Official Google Meetup. Free. Open to Googlers and Google users (so, basically everyone). 6pm, Lima Restaurant & Lounge, DC (right off McPherson Square Metro, great for an Orange Line suburbanite like me).

* Thursday, August 27 – TechCocktail DC 6. $10. Tech networking and demos. 6:30pm, LeftBank in Adams Morgan. (And of course, all the movers and the shakers will be at Amsterdam Falafel afterwards. Well, at least I will.)

* Saturday (yes, Saturday), August 29 – TechAdventure DC. $40. Destination socialization, featuring a bus ride out for a day of wine tasting at the Rappahannock Cellars winery. Charter bus leaves from Capitol Hill at noon. (Space is limited.)

Looking forward into September:

* Wednesday, Sept. 2 – Tap the Collective. $5. Panel discussion on collective intelligence, looking at Intellipedia and other tools. 6pm, LeftBank.

* Tuesday, Sept. 8 – Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase. $140 (early bird price to August 20). Even if you can’t finagle a way into the invite-only Gov 2.0 Summit (Sept. 9 and 10), you can still check out these Ignite-style presentations on various Government 2.0 topics, divided into 5  categories, featuring gov’t agencies (from federal to local), advocacy groups, and the private sector. 8:30am-5:30pm. Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

* Thursday, Sept. 10 – Washington DC Twestival. $20 (Proceeds benefit Miriam’s Kitchen.) The second installment of an event mobilizing Twitter-engaged communities for social good, this time benefiting local charities. 7pm, Midtown Loft, DC.

* Saturday, Sept. 12 – Sunday, Sept. 13 – CongressCamp Unconference. Free (the price of admission is participation). For Congressional staffers, advocacy groups, social technologists, and citizen advocates to talk about Government 2.0, with a particular focus on Congress. Location TBD.

* Wednesday, Sept. 16 – Web Content Mavens monthly meetup. Free. This month’s topic is Web Analytics Usage Among Government and Nonprofits. 7pm, location TBD.

* Tuesday, Sept. 29 – Of course, I would be remiss if I left out the GrowSmartBiz Conference, presented by Network Solutions and featuring keynote speaker Chris Anderson (editor for Wired, who’s shaken things up with books The Long Tail and Free.) For small businesses looking for ways to grow their business. $299 (say you’re a friend of Shashi by registering with the discount code “FRIENDOFSHASHI” and get half-off, a savings of $150, or share your small business success story for a chance to win a free admission). 8:30am-5pm, Renaissance Hotel, DC.

That should keep you busy, right? If you’ve got your own event to add, leave a comment, and maybe I’ll see you out at one of them.

Joe Loong: So, how’s it going?

Rob Neelbauer: Going good so far, everybody seems to be having a good time.

How long have you been doing Matchbox?

It started January 2008.

Can you talk about the evolution between Job Matchbox and Social Matchbox, or is it all the same thing under different brands?

That’s a good question. We started off as a startup job fair. We had a jobs list, and a Job Matchbox that corresponded with that. Companies came, they wanted to talk about what they were hiring for, but then they also wanted to show off what they were doing.

So we gave them a mike; the presentations got better; companies got funded; their presentations got even better; and it’s just evolved. Now it’s a lot more presentations, with some good networking because of the peer community.

How have things changed in the current economic climate — in terms of what you’re seeing from the companies that are presenting.

The bigger companies aren’t here — and by bigger companies, I mean if you’ve got $30 million in your bank from investors, you’ve been laying off people to save that $30 million, because you’ve been hiring so many new people. Now those companies are laying low and trying to survive.

You have a lot more early-stage companies; people, a lot of them have been laid off, and a lot of them have severance packages and more free time on their hands to pursue their ideas. Or maybe now it’s just their time. So you have a lot of those sorts of companies presenting.

In terms of the evolution of the matchbox, where do you see it going? Are you trying to branch out a little bit, or are you going to keep it focused in the DC area?

When we first did it, the farthest away we had a company from was Silver Spring, and we were holding it in Fairfax. We’ve moved to DC, and now we’ve got companies from Baltimore and Annapolis. Maybe we’ll have a company or two that comes in from Philadelphia next. We’ll see. We’re not trying to make this the next TechCrunch 50 or something (laughing)

Well, Arrington probably needs someone to keep him honest… So where does Social Matchbox fit in with other tech networking events, and what are some of the differences that set it apart?

You go to Frank’s event [Tech Cocktail] and it’s a crowded room of people in a bar — you’re elbow to elbow, you can’t hear each other very well…

Sure, so here this is an explicit presentation / whatever opportunity, instead of just rubbing elbows in a bar somewhere…

It’s part that, but I think the bigger thing is that it’s not just a sit and conversation-friendly zone. The “speed dating for geeks” concept that we use and talk about all the time; it’s about that — making peer-to-peer conversations. The people who come to this are all makers. Whether they’re building things, they’re engineers, or they’re designers designing things, or the entrepreneurs building a business plan, they’re the people that are building and making things. So it’s kind of a makers’ meetup — a makers’ user group.

And that’s one of the other things that’s different about this and other events — you don’t have to worry about being hustled by a troupe of salespeople, or a troupe of staffing agency recruiters, people who are there to take you and make you a client.

So you’ve got startups and developers here who are looking for help like that, for marketing help…

Well, for that they can go to any networking event. This is more: You meet other peers, people who are developers, who are entrepreneurs that are building things. These people are going to talk to each other, of course, and when they talk to each other ask, “Who should I call for marketing?” “Who should I call for recruiting?” “Who should I call for sales?” — that’s the natural thing that’s going to come out of that conversation.

But it’s not here that they need the sales rep or the marketing consultant.

Last question: So, are you going to formally adopt “speed dating for geeks?” Everyone uses it…

Maybe (laughing)

Many thanks to Robert Neelbauer and everyone who attended and participated in Social Matchbox DC.

Washington Post tech columnist Kim Hart has a good event writeup, which features a photo from our own Shashi (you can see even mo’ bettah pictures in his Flickr set from the event). So what’s left unsaid for me?

I did grab a chance to have a quick talk with founder Robert Neelbauer, so I’ll post that in a subsequent entry. Here now, are just a few shotgun-style personal observations:

* Social Matchbox is a little more structured than other types of tech networking events; established companies, startups, and even not-quite-startups do three-minute presentations (hence the unofficial “speed dating for geeks” slogan), interspersed with opportunities for attendee networking. (It typically ends with an open-mike segment, though it was cut this time due to time constraints.)

* Business opportunity: Pre-event presentation coaching. Considering some of the cringe-inducing performances I’ve seen over the years, including any number of low-talkers, pocket-jinglers, and generally incomprehensible speakers, I’m thinking this is gold.

The presenters this time around were pretty good, though there’s always room for improvement, and there are enough things out of a presenter’s control to worry about (remember, every room, AV setup, and audience is different).

If you’re going to present, rehearse, preferable with video — friends may lie, but video doesn’t. Neither do stopwatches, lest you run afoul of timekeeper Juliana:

At the very least, pay attention to other folks so you know what the room sounds like, or have a confederate there to give you the high sign when your volume goes too low.

Also, it’s not usually wise to forgo the microphone — even if you project well, they might need it if the event is being recorded or streamed.

* Everyone was issued a MingleStick to use, a contact info-swapping device of the type that I denigrated in my earlier post about managing contacts:

It seemed to work okay — once you’re registered in, point at another MingleStick and click to swap info. But the novelty wore off quickly, and I like having context, even if it’s scrawled on the back of a business card. I guess I’m hopelessly analog that way.

I do note that we had to turn in the devices at the end of the night, and I still haven’t gotten my contacts to the e-mail address I provided.

* Several companies slotted to present were no-shows. Like with many raffles, hey, you gotta be present to… present. I was mildly tempted to jump on stage and spout nonsense on their behalf.

* One of the companies presenting (Root Orange) was in “stealth mode.” It’s hard to do a pitch for something when you can’t talk about it. If you have a personal track record, that’s something, but otherwise, there just isn’t a lot for other people to go on.

* DubMeNow, was another company looking to build a better mousetrap for contact swapping and management, using smart phones and other mobile devices. I still don’t get why people have such a big problem with business cards.

Anyway, it was a good event, though I didn’t stick around for the dinner afterwards. Check out the Social Matchbox site for a full list of presenters, including video interviews. And stay tuned for my own interview with founder Robert Neelbauer.

Were you at the event? Are you vehemently anti-business card? Got a tale of presentation woe you’d like to share? Leave a comment below.

* 3/25, 6:30-8pm: DC Media Makers March Meeting: Not only is our own Jill Foster the prime conspirator behind DC Media Makers, but Steve Fisher will be presenting as he talks about producing his very own movie. And Shashi should be there, too.

The general unifying theme of the night’s sessions is video production, which we’re all interested in. Superficially ironic since the venue is National Public Radio, though not if you know anything about NPR social media honcho and host Andy Carvin.

Aftershocks at Busboys and Poets, 5th & K.

* 3/26, 3-5pm: [Sold Out] An afternoon event on Issue Advocacy Using Social and Traditional Media – From Twitter to MSNBC in 24 Hours, featuring Shaun Dakin, CEO and Founder of StopPoliticalCalls.org. At Siteworx in Reston

Though the event is sold out, you can register to watch the stream online.

* 3/26, 7pm: Refresh DC March Meetup: Web Education – Breakthroughs and Roadblocks. Monthly meeting of Refresh DC (new media and Web-types: designers, developers, malingerers, etc), with Jeffrey Brown as featured speaker talking about Web education. At CDIA Georgetown.

* 3/27-3/28, 8am-6pm both days: [Sold Out] Government 2.0 Camp – An unconference on how to drag government into the Web 2.0 era. Although it’s sold out, check the Gov 2.0 Camp Wiki for session info, resources, and information on where you can pick up the live stream. At the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown.

* 3/30, 6pm: Social Web Meetup: Monetization Conference. Another event with the DC New Media Technology – Web 2.0 – Video 2.0 – Social Web Meetup, led by Paul Worsham. Location TBD.

* 4/1, 5-6:30pm: SxSW DC Digest [Facebook login required] — Jill gives a heads up for this followup event for attendees (and hangers-on) of the South by Southwest Interactive conference. Followed by a happy hour/Tweetup. At the USTelecom Association.

Also 4/1, 6-7:15pm, and also via Jill: The inaugural Blogging and Cupcakes [Sold Out], which combines social media with “yummy cupcakes.” More info here. At Baked and Wired, in Georgetown.

* 4/2, 6-9pm: Social Matchbox — another edition of speed dating for startups, job seekers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. Featuring demos and pitches by companies. Tip to presenters: Make sure people can hear you — even have a confederate in the audience to let you know if you need to be louder. At American University, Tenley Campus.

* 4/9, 8am-5pm: Social Media Bootcamp. Steve had blogged about it previously, and Shashi is a featured speaker. All day in King of Prussia, PA — $449.

* 4/19, 8am-5pm: eDemocracyCamp 2 — Say what you will about DC, there are a lot of folks interested in participatory democracy and transparency in government. Another unconference — check out the event wiki for more info. At George Washington University’s Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, Foggy Bottom in DC.

Anyway, that’s my list. [A little further out are the next Twin Tech (May 28) and Blog Potomac (June 12).] I probably won’t make all of them, and there are plenty of other meetups, events and conferences that I’m leaving out, so if you’ve got your own events to suggest, please leave a comment below.

The event is put on by Robert Neelbauer who runs JobMatchbox.com which is a job recruiting site and is based in the DC area. It is essentially “speed dating” for startups to present their idea, say what kind of talent they are looking for and network with those looking for jobs at a startup.

It is a nice change from the tech council networking events where startups are almost non-existent and government contracting is the topic of almost everything. It is part of the cutting edge startup/web 2.0 scene that makes up what the Washington Post calls a “Twin Tech Town” with the other half consisting of the big government contracting companies. Many familiar faces in the DC tech scene where there including our own Social Media Swami, Shashi Bellamkonda, who took some great pictures which are in a slide show below.

The list of who presented had some familiar faces but many were new and their demos/presentations were all over the place in terms of style and content. Here is the list of those who presented:

- Clearspring
- AddyMate
- 100 Dimensions
- emPivot
- Contribune
- folioFN
- Freewebs
- Hireworx
- Hotpads
- iBelong
- Innovative Query
- MixedInk
- OurCoupleSpace
- Positive Energy
- Razoo
- ScriptAct
- ShareMeme
- Ubernote
- Viscape

It reminded me of the time when I was raising money for a previous startup and my work on the venture pitch. It had to be honed and scripted and tight (usually with a time limit). This event had companies whose presentations where all over the place in terms of style, content and quality. So many people have great ideas but they sometimes have a hard time communicating to the public their concept to get people excited about joining or funding their company. This is on the heels of Jason Calacanis’ e-mail to his followers about getting ready for their TechCrunch50 conference which is a direct competitor to the DEMO conference.

Now I am not here to praise or bash particular companies that presented nor do I want to be the Simon Cowell of judging presentations, but I thought it would be good to give those small business readers out there a top 10 list of things you should know if you have to present your business to people. Let’s get started:

1.) Know your audience - Are you raising money? Attracting talent? Selling to potential customers? Tune the presentation accordingly

2.) Show your product in the first 60 seconds – This is from Jason’s list and it is critical you show people you actually have something. The best presentations of that event were where the team dove into the product to wow and amaze people.

3.) Take less that five minutes to demo – Again, from Jason and it is important because you don’t want to show them every single feature and have their eyes glaze over

4.) Leave them wanting more – This follows up Jason’s previous recommendation because if they like it, they will reach out to you and it will be up to you to reel them in.

5.) Use the 10-20-30 rule – This Guy Kawasaki’s rule from his book “Art of the Start” which should be required reading for any entrepreneur. It is essentially 10 slides, 20 minutes and 30 point font. Easy to remember, hard to actually do.

6.) Don’t use just bullets! Mix it up! – Bullet presentations are weak and most people read the slide. Incorporate pictures, graphics and keyword text to get your point across.

7.) Know your market inside out – Don’t do the “It’s a $1 Billion market and we will get 1% of it”. People will throw you out. Investors will want to know that you understand how the market is comprised, what really you are a part of and how much you can reasonably acheive.

8.) Know your competition inside out – Investors and customers want to know it from different perspectives but in the end they want to know that you have done your homework and have a product that is better than anything out there on the market today and the foreseeable future.

9.) When you don’t know something, be honest – I have seen people make stuff up on the fly or say “we can do that” when there no way they can. If you don’t know something say “let me think about that for a minute” or “I don’t know at the moment but I can find out and get back to you”.

10.) Practice, practice, practice – You would think this last one would be obvious but many people spend so much time working on the presentation they never practice it and go in cold turkey. Their speech sounds studdered and their transitions are clumsy. People may think that if you can’t do this well, how good is your product and can you really do what you say you can do?

This list could probably grow to +100 tips but I recommend everyone to read sites like PresentationZen.com for tips on general presentation style. So get started. The only way you are going to get better is if you get out there and start doing it.