SoCal Networking Event Organizations - Weekly Updates 10/12/09

Weekly updates to the main SoCal Networking Event Organizations list. Please let me know if know of other organizations to add, or if you have any feedback on events.

Name: Challenger Networking Group (CA)
Review: I've been told the Challenger group has a strong HR slant.
Updated 10/5/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Conejo Jewish Job Support
Sites: www.conejojewishjobsupport.com
Self-description: "The Conejo Jewish Job Support is a free community outreach program sponsored by Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks. We meet every Tuesday morning for coffee, bagels, learning, motivation, support and networking. Free of course. No, you don't have to be Jewish. Join others in the same boat as you."
Frequency: EVERY Tuesday from 8:30am to 10am at Temple Adat Elohim, 2420 East Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks."
Cost: "There's nothing to join, no dues to pay. Just come.", "You can RSVP if you like, or you can just show up and try it out. Business casual attire, please."
Review: None
Added 10/5/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Emerging Professionals and Entrepreneurs Council
Sites: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1801653, www.centurycitycc.org
Self-description: "EPEC works with the Los Angeles community, via the Century City Chamber of Commerce, to facilitate business relationships through quarterly networking events drawing hundreds of people aimed at the same goal."
Frequency: Quarterly
Cost: Frequently $20 - $30 depending on membership status, and advanced registration.
Review: When I asked a representative from this event what was meant by "Emerging", she replied "[emerging] does give an indication of youth, which is well represented on the council, but we believe anyone can be 'emerging' which brings us great diversity in our events" which I find to be a great outlook. I look forward to attending one of there events.
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: LA CTO Forum
Sites: lactoforum.org, lactoforum.ning.com, www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1806451
Self-description: "LA CTO Forum is a vibrant, private, invite-only network of software CTOs who exchange ideas, share experiences, and help each other when needed. We conduct monthly meetings, quarterly roundtables, and discuss different business and technology topics." and "The group is for software CTOs in the Los Angeles area. We have various titles in the group and different size companies involved, but members have business and technology responsibility in their organizations. All members are screened by Tony Karrer and Oded Noy. If you are an intelligent, high-level technologist, with lots of industry experience, this group is appropriate for you. "
Frequency: "second Friday of every month
Cost: Free?
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Dealmaker Media
Sites: www.dealmakermedia.com/la.html, www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2358828320
Self-description: "Dealmaker Media operates at the intersection of business, technology, venture capital, and the future. We are a network of innovators from early-stage startups with an eye for disruption, to some of the most influential companies in the world. Our conferences, roundtables, blogs, and research are designed to inter-connect CEOs, technology and entertainment executives, investors, analysts and press. "
Frequency: Uknown
Cost: "$125 Members | $195 Non-Members"
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Digital Family Reunion
Sites: www.digitalfamilyreunion.net
Self-description: "The DFR is helping to set an engagement platform to advance the conversation between these like-minded, yet diverse communities by asking the question: 'If we knew how connected we all are, how would that change everything?'"
Frequency: Yearly?
Cost: Unknown
Review: None
Added 9/18/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Startups Uncensored
Sites: www.jasonnazar.com, twitter.com/jasonnazar,
Self-description: "Startups Uncensored is a free monthly speaking series, townhall, and networking event for entrepreneurs and technology aficionados, hosted by Jason Nazar, CEO of Docstoc.com. These monthly meetups are centered around different topics meant to help startups build their businesses. The event, brought to you by DealMaker Media, contributes to the growing Los Angeles technology scene by bringing together various entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, social media experts, and professionals in the tech field. The format of the series typically includes a 45 minute presentation or panel followed by 45 minutes of questions and answers, and its co-hosted by notable CEOs and Investors."
Frequency: Monthly
Cost: Free
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Mindshare Los Angeles
Sites: www.mindshare.la, www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22901091188, mindshare-labs.com
Self-description: "If Noah's Ark had an open bar,
it would be more like Mindshare...

If World Leaders held pyjama parties,
it would be more like Mindshare...

If Jamba Juice made smoothies from books,
it would be more like Mindshare..."
(If I was to award a site with most interesting description, this would be it - Todd)
"Mindshare takes place on every third Thursday of the month and gathers energized people from diverse backgrounds for an evening of inspiration and interaction in Downtown LA. The event starts at 7pm and as the ~400 attendees arrive, they can meet new people while enjoying hors d'oeuvres and a stocked, open bar. The program begins at 8:30, and consists of a few 10 minute talks and performances from a variety of disciplines."
Frequency: "every third Thursday"
Cost: $30/$35/$40
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: (Los Angeles) Geek Dinner
Sites: g33kd1nner.com, www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2396233804
Self-description: "The Los Angeles Geek Dinner was started by Heather Schlegel (aka heathervescent) in April 2006. It was an off-shoot of the first Los Angeles Barcamp.

Heather started the LA g33k d1nner because she was surprised to find there were quite a few passionate technologists in LA - but no one was talking to each other. The g33k d1nner tried to solve this problem by being a monthy gathering for anyone interested in technology.

Anyone is welcome to attend the g33k d1nner - as long as you are genuinely passionate about technology. The g33k d1nner is not a traditional networking event focused on dog and pony show and tells, rather it is the change to cultivate social and professional relationships."
Frequency: "3rd Tuesday of every month, except for November or December"
Cost: Free?
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: LA Cloud Computing
Sites: www.cloud.la
Self-description: "Exploring cloud computing technologies, implementation, use and business.
Ideas of Interest
* Cross cloud deployments
* Security in cloud deployments
* Datacenters
* Virtualization
* Test driven deployment
* GPU computing
* Decentralized datastores
* Scientific computing "
Frequency: Unknown
Cost: Unknown
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: LA Web Application Developers Meetup
Sites: web.meetup.com/34
Self-description: "Join us at Los Angeles's biggest meetup for web application developers (software engineers who build websites). Our purpose is to create a thriving developer community in Los Angeles, promote a free exchange of information and connect with each other at bi-monthly (or so) events.

Our events are presentation style. Guests from the community present tips, tricks, new methods, frameworks, tools or anything else interesting to web application development. Our events are hosted by local companies who also enjoy giving back to the community."
Frequency: Monthly or so
Cost: Free?
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: The Los Angeles PHP Developers Meetup Group
Sites: www.meetup.com/phpdev, www.laphp.org
Self-description: "This is an informal networking and discussion get together. It's a meetup mashup of the Los Angeles PHP / MySQL / Semantic Web meetup groups. A great group of PHP developers and enthusiasts discussing various issues on PHP and software development as well as latest trends in web-related technologies."
Frequency: "second Sunday of every month"
Cost: Free?
Review: None
Added 10/6/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Bloblive
Sites: www.bloblive.com, twitter.com/ideablob, www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=66578725659, www.youtube.com/user/IdeaBLOBdotcom, www.myspace.com/ideablob
Self-description: "Bloblive is the city’s open mic night for ideas. You know that great idea you have? We want to help you get it going! Come to the next bloblive, grab the mic and hit the crowd with your best elevator pitch. You’ll find advice and feedback from a roomful of people focused on trying to help your idea grow."
Frequency: Approximately Monthly
Cost: Unknown
Review: Also in Philadelphia
Added 10/7/09 by Todd Zebert

Name: Scrum Club Los Angeles
Sites: losangeles.scrumclub.org
Self-description: "Scrum Club is a social club dedicated to boosting awareness of new technologies and the accompanying advantages of adoption. We take an interdisciplinary, humanities-oriented approach to technology. Our wider range of subject matter and sponsored events means a wider audience and a greater range of people. You never know who you will meet at one of our events!

Scrum Club seeks to shortcut the chicken and egg dilemma by organizing fun events and projects where professionals can come and spend a few hours to build their skills and network, then use those hours to count towards certification."
Frequency: Unknown
Cost: Unknown
Review: While not specifically a networking group, would be appropriate for those in Development/Scrum.
Added 10/7/09 by Todd Zebert