Meet, Greet, Drink & Eat in Boston!
Jul 21 '04 (Updated Feb 03 '05)
The Bottom Line Epinions is not just a virtual, but a REAL community.
I have traveled to Boston numerous times on business. However I never had an opportunity to really see and experience the city. That is until I found out about the upcoming Epinions Meet and Greet. So my wife and I decided to spend Saturday (07/17/04) and Sunday (07/18/04) in Boston. We took one of the guided trolley tours. They are very convenient and allow you to see the city at your own pace. They also provide ample opportunities for photography. In the afternoon we headed over to Jillian's Boston on Ipswich street. Jillian's turned out to be quite a good venue for the Meet & Greet. Epinions had reserved a portion of the pool hall for the event. It was spacious and had excellent lighting for taking photographs. There were plenty of hors dOeuvres (even for a vegetarian like me), and the staff kept the glasses full.
When I got there, there were a bunch of strategically placed Epi-dolls, indicating the path to fun and good times. Garrett, Alexis, Christal, Sarah, Randy and Paul were all there welcoming members as they arrived. After the customary hugs and kisses, I set up my camera and proceeded to photograph everything and everybody that moved...and didn't. After about 30 minutes, Sarah "the guru" thanked everyone for being there and introduced all the staff members in attendance. She also mentioned Nirav Tolia's departure for personal reasons, and acknowledged his past contributions to the company. And as much as she tried to reassure me, I still think that she is capable of kicking my azz.
Randy who recently started with Epinions, came from Yahoo and was chockful of ideas on how to improve Epinions visibility on the web. He also mentioned some strategic partnerships that would increase traffic on the site. More importantly, he was very open to member ideas on how to enhance the site & the Epinions experience.
Alexis was her usual charming self. I am amazed how she can handle all the BS that comes her way, and still remain motivated and enthused about the site. She is a sweet person who seems to be very passionate about Epinions and for that, she has earned my respect and support. However be forewarned. She does control the delete button ;)
I met Christal for the first time. She is a community care specialist, and a bona fide hottie! Enough reason to show up for the next meet-n-greet! Unfortunately I didn't get to spend much time with her. My wife made sure of that...heh.
Garrett was a blast. Everyone was peppering him with questions about everything under the sun. And he was enjoying every minute of it. However he did make sure that he spent some time with everyone.
Paul who came to Epinions via Dealtime, was very informative about the future of Epinions and Shopping.com. From what I hear, the company seems to be moving in the right direction. Management seems to be focused in the right areas, and seem committed to the success of Epinions and Shopping.com. All I can say is: stay tuned folks!
This was my second Meet & Greet event. The first one was in New York. The main reason to attend one of these shindigs, is to finally put a face to a name/userid. To meet the people behind the words. And to realize that Epinions is a real community in every sense of the word. Online we share our victories and our defeats, our highs and lows. We even give each other emotional support when it is most needed. I finally realized after February, that I have made some very real friends on Epinions. As before, it was a delight to meet drdevience, speeddemon531 and Kristinafh again. I finally met spazure after hearing so much about her from her mom and Katy. And marytara, you are the bomb...and you know it. Nuff said! pinkants absolutely won the Ms Congeniality award for the evening. She and her boyfriend (I think) even helped me navigate the Boston subway. You wouldn't know it if you read MattA75, but he doesn't like his picture taken. So I took three...heh heh. I really enjoy movies, so it was fun to meet and discuss my favorite movies with the great Vormancian. Marc is a walking movie encyclopedia, and much deserving of the title of Category Lead in movies. His wife and son also graced us with their presence. Other notable names in attendance: beckytcy, dlstewart, Quasar, Volition45, kjell1979 and his family, tbthorne, seric26, Daquan and Metalluk.
Notably absent were stairway2drew, wolfieman, nollequeen & xiphoid. You were all missed.
If you haven't yet attended an Epinions Meet & Greet, you are missing out. Take a look at the wild time had by all, over here:
http://bostonmng.myphotoalbum.com
You can see all the shots individually, in a slideshow, download super high resolution images and even order prints.
Thanks for a great time Epinions,
Ashok
PS: Sarah, could you please fly Howard out to the next event, so I/we can finally meet him?
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Epinions.com ID:
aashok
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Ashok
Location: The BIG Apple
Reviews written: 77
Trusted by: 194 members
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