• by Kelly Samardak , February 9, 2009

Social Happy Digital Hour, The Benjamin Hotel, New York
February 6, 2009

I feel like it's appropriate to talk about a Friday on a Monday. It's almost like speaking its name brings it closer, kind of like how you might mention vermin in your NYC apartment and suddenly, as if on cue, they shall appear. All mange aside, how do you usually wrap up your week? Do you hit the bar for some Alabama slammers with your favorite mailroom guy? Perhaps you walk to the Hudson River Park to divulge your latest business ideas to the seagulls -- you know they won't tell. Maybe you head home, tears stinging your eyes, barrel through the door, and collapse in the foyer in the fetal position, muttering "please make it go away" on repeat. I like to do both, in public, and hopefully at something like the Social Happy Digital Hour that Joe Marchese, President of SocialVibe, slapped together last week.

In the days leading up to the Social Happy Digital Hour, Joe revealed via Twitter direct message (DM) that he had hooked up an open bar. We agreed publicizing that tiny fact would lead to less quality convo seekers and more of the free-buzz bandits, so that info was embargoed, as they say, until the last minute. The idea was to keep it quality, not unwashed quantity.

I walked into the Emery Bar of the Benjamin Hotel and found a lost-looking fellow and a sign directing us upstairs to the new location: the Benjamin Lounge. Thankfully the hotel's Web site was misleading in its over-the-top elegance; the Emery Bar was warm and laid back, and the Benjamin Lounge was your typical nondescript hotel lounge, which, when I arrived, was stippled with denim-clad Twitter, and a few non-Twittering, types.

They included: Christian Borges, Vice President, Publicity, for Deep Focus; David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media & Client Strategy for 3601; Jason Heller, Digital media exec and underwater & travel photographer (yup, it's as cool as it sounds); Tiffany Winbush, a superstar hunting down the perfect next step; Travis Pfeifer, who, according to his business card, IS Social Media at Google; Anjali Malhotra from EMI Music Publishing; Amanda Keylor, Research Project Manager, Manhattan Research; Dave Clark, GM of North America for Joost; Tim Smith, SocialVibe East Coast VP of sales; and Josh Sternberg, who is unemployed and, while sifting through the muck for the right job, has been heading to the gym, plucking away at his guitar, writing in his blog (The Sternberg Effect), and lurking at schmoozing events. Oh! I was also able to sneak a chat in with Emily Steel, digital media and marketing reporter at The Wall Street Journal before being interrupted by a guest telling me that film is cooler than digital. Because I care what's cooler, have a day.

Adam Broitman, Director of Strategy for Crayon was putting out the baldy consortium beacon while Andrew Graham, a tall guy whose actual career moves are indecipherable to me, was mingling around with the palm-squeezing trifecta of Matt Caldecutt, Nichelle Stephens, and Lisa Lacy. I finally met Lara Lebeiko, Digital Strategist and Resource Interactive alum, outside of Twitterland. We shared the Ohio connection and gushed about The Black Keys with Shehan De Silva, Director of Internal Marketing for MPG, and Kyle Combs, who works his butt off waiting tables at Bond 45 in Times Square. Kyle incidentally disappointed me with the news that at least three people at the happy hour walked away almost immediately upon hearing that he's a waiter. That attitude sucks - considering, if they had talked to Kyle, they would have discovered he's helping a friend start a small business, so he's surveying the social media scene to see how he can work it to their advantage and, as he said grinning confidently, "I probably make more money waiting tables in a week than some of those people make in two." And he's right. Considering this economic environment, I'd say "expertise waiting tables" is a highly sellable skill.

I nearly shot champagne out of my nasal caves like a violently busted beanbag chair when up the stairs slinked the spiky-haired PR industry darling, Brian Morrissey. Armed with his usual deadpan sarcasm, Brian told me, "This is as nerdy as I get." You're the digital editor at Adweek; I certainly hope it gets nerdier. He also asked me what this "Social Media Week" is supposed to be and I tried, but couldn't really describe it neatly. I mean, I proudly consider myself a user/getter/praise-singer of social media, but when an umbrella mysteriously covered a normal week of shindigs that included the ShortyAwards, Twestival, a social media roundtable, the I Heart PRNewser party, and more than a handful of networking events, I was just as perplexed as the next guy.

Theme weeks aside, the Social Happy Digital Hour was a worthwhile Friday gathering. I usually consider Fridays the beginning of Kelly time, but I would share it with that gaggle of gabbers any time. Big hugs to Joe Marchese for pulling the crowd together and lining up the free bevvies -- a totally unnecessary but very welcome surprise.

My favorite part of the night was "testing" Lucius Kwok's Tuna Pitch, an iPhone app he designed to tune stringed instruments. I used my vocal chords. I can only imagine what we (ok, I) looked like howling into that phone.

Celebrating? Invite kelly@mediapost.com and wrap yourself in the Snuggie™ of Just An Online Minute

There are some photos !

I'll probably tweet the whole week if I get my stupid Verizon Wireless BlackBerry fixed.