Some updates on the event/community front:
1) A little while ago, I changed the name of the data event I’ve been organizing from “NYC Data Business Meetup” to “Data Driven NYC”. I originally started the event mostly as experiment, and didn’t give much thought to branding (so yeah, that was a terrible name). The event has now grown quite a bit (over 3.700 members as I write this), so it was time for a better name; also at this stage, it feels more like a community than “just” a meetup, so I wanted a name that reflected this reality.
2) Back in June, I launched a new community called “Hardwired NYC”. It covers startups, technologies and products at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds, including topics like 3D printing, Internet of Things, wearable computing, etc. I developed a strong interest in those areas through my involvement in the Big Data world – the Internet of Things, in particular, is deeply intertwined with Big Data (the proliferation of sensors has been contributing to the Big Data “problem”; equally the Internet of Things will be highly dependent on Big Data technologies if it is to deliver on its promise).
3) As Hardwired NYC is taking off fast (more than 700 members after just two events), I figured that both events/communities should have their own website with full video libraries, including for people who don’t live in New York and are interested in the content. So, with the great help of my FirstMark colleague Dan Kozikowski, I’m launching this week www.datadrivennyc.com and www.hardwirednyc.com. Both sites have a “Watch” section where, from now on, I will post pictures and videos of events (as opposed to this blog).