• by Kelly Samardak , October 7, 2008

ABM Networking Mixer, Redemption Bar and Grill, New York
October 5, 2008

Networking. It's a funny thing, isn't it? It's a super sponge from Trader Joe's, soaking up germy definitions. Some approach it like facing battle, probably palm-squeeze cross-training between parties. Others are the watchers, the more passive networkers, waiting in the dark until the rainmaker shows up. Some are ambivalent, knowing people will come to them -- so they take root at the bar or the wrap-around couch, sipping Pilsner and wine. Regardless of where you stand in the official definition of networking, I think we can agree on one thing: people will be present at these events. People who can see you. People who potentially will write about the evening, perchance listing you as someone seen and seen with. Which then leads me to say, if you don't want to be seen, you should either wear your cloak of invisibility or stay away from networking events. No?

I'm not going to belabor the points. I'm going to withhold judgment on the ABM Young Professionals mixer, because I lit out of there Mercury style just as the mini-burgers showed their faces. I'm sure it was great at around the 7 p.m. mark (after that poor girl fell on her face down the tiny hard to discern steps. It could have been me, I never look where I'm walking). What is a young professional? I can probably figure it out myself, but where do you think the age cutoff is? Matt Caldecutt was there, perched on a square low stool, sharing what I can only imagine as lock-and-key-sealed private conversation with another guest who shall remain completely nameless, anonymous, and invisible. Yup, makin' like I never saw you there against my desire to accurately report the facts ma'am, just the facts.

Let's address that, for just an online minute. Hypothetically, if you're a fairly public person who requests that I visually reject you, what's to stop others from taking the M102 home to type in their MySpace blog, their Facebook status, their Twitter updates, their LiveJournal page (haw!), their Dear Diary, their DIY social network, that they saw you, if you're such a big deal. Purely hypothetical. Whenever someone asks me to keep them out of a write-up, I wonder what they're hiding. Typically, if I'm not supposed to be somewhere, I'm not there. Like, really not there... not invisible because I asked someone to play pretend. This sounds confusing doesn't it? It is, believe me. I'll stop. Let's move on to all the goodies that were and are yet to be!

September held that life-spearing wooly mammoth called Advertising Week. Tucked in there were quite a few MediaPost events as well. OMMA Global New York wrapped itself around the OMMA Awards and the Online All Stars Luncheon. Rearing its head, the Monday following OMMA Global New York was the Gatsby-esque Creative Media Awards, prefaced by the Future of Media Forum. And that all happened in a span of what, four days? Really great stuff, and more to come.

October looks to be a less crazed, but certainly not loosening the waist band on content. PRNewser celebrates one year in front of our eyeballs, and I'll be sharing that fun night with all of you. Tonight is the Harry Chapin Media Awards at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, which I'm nerdily pumped to be a part of, and later this month is -- get ready -- another Thrillist party. If you recall, and even if you don't, it's been burned in my memory, Thrillist knows how to throw a party and sometimes, they'll throw it in the air - but this time , this time, it's going to be in a mansion. Shhh, it's going to be awesome. Sprinkled in there are some swanky creative agency launches, a nice little 360i party, and let's not forget the preparations for Ad:Tech, which I promise will not be as frantic as Advertising Week.

And I'd better see you there.

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