by Brian Solis

Internet Week NY 2009 has come and gone, but its legacy will carry us throughout the coming year until we convene again at IWNY 2010.

PepsiCo and the TechSet were charged with kicking-off Internet Week by bubbling-up innovation and spotlighting global entrepreneurship at the Bubble Lounge on a beautiful New York evening. Dare I say that it was bub.blicio.us?

PepsiCo has been among those companies that truly understand and consistently demonstrate the activity, engagement, and potential for genuine participation and community cultivation.

It’s about people. And, that’s serves as the very foundation for the TechSet.

PepsiCo, along with the TechSet (Stephanie Agresta and yours truly) and a venue filled with new creativity and passion , indeed commemorated the vivacity of imagination and the people who transform ideas into realty – embodying the true essence and spirit of InternetWeek.

We toasted to the artistry of innovation and basked in the inspiration that spilt over not from our glasses, but from the vision and personality that fills NYC during Internet Week.

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story…

Your hosts – Brian Solis and Stephanie Agresta

Maria Sansone of Poptub

“THE” Rock Band

Melanie Notkin

Anthony Casalena of SquareSpace

Loren Feldman, Dan Farber, Michelle Feldman

Dan Patterson, ABC Radio

Chris Heuer

Brant Bonin Bough

Aubrey Sabala, Brian August

Joel Dreyfuss

Oz Sultan, Brett Petersel, Gregarious, Coutenay Bird

Leora Israel

Brett Petersel

Ayelet Noff

Oz Sultan, Brett Petersel, Jolie O’Dell, Jacob Mullins, Courtenay Bird, MG Siegler, Brian Solis

Nicole Jordan, Rana Sobhany, Stephanie Agresta, Brett Petersel, Anand Iyer, Jacob Mullins, MG Siegler, Michael Jacobson, Bryan Barletta, Courtenay Bird, Damien Basile

For more pictures from the Pepsico – TechSet IWNY party, please visit my album on flickr.

Video highlights from the Pepsico – TechSet party now on PopTub:

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Read more from Brian Solis:

Blog: PR 2.0
Book: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations
Social Map: The Conversation Prism

by Brian Solis

The Gloomers first webisode is live even though the new series and the corresponding online community is still locked behind closed doors. The team plans to invite the first round of people into a private beta next month.

In the meantime, join the The Gloomers group on Facebook to see the exclusive Valentine’s Day cartoon now.

The Gloomers are the perfect antidote for the doom-and-gloom of the current state of things, where no matter how bad things are for you, for the Gloomers, it’s always worse! Dreamed up by Dan Mechem and featuring the work of Flintstones animator Mark West, this gloomy clan is sure to make you laugh and also touch your heart.

Last night in San Francisco, Dan Mechem and company hosted a special “preview” party for employees, partners, friends, and investors.

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of story…

To see additional pictures from the Gloomers preview party, please visit my album on Flickr.

Tom Foremski and Dan Mechem

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by Brian Solis

Panic leads to the further declination and eradication of progress.

Yes the market is slipping.

Yes, the financial market is resetting.

But the U.S economy, actually, the global economy, is a yo-yo on an escalator. It might go up and down, but eventually, it’s always going up.

Those who do not proactively contribute to the economy’s escalation are taking away from its ability to instill confidence and rally support.

So instead of running into a cave, shaking your head in disbelief, crying aloud, or scaring the sh!t out of everyone, ask yourself, “what are you going to do about it?”

VCs are calling for startups to cut expenses.

Entrepreneurs hear that directive clearly as, “cut expenses.”

But, which expenses do they cut?

Here’s a simple answer…Don’t cut or eliminate the expenses that strategically and cost effectively help you and your business engage customers and also the respective influencers who reach them and their social graph.

This is the time for entrepreneurs to realize that this is their opportunity to shine – especially if they have built something that businesses or real people can use to streamline their workflow or improve day-to-day routine.

In a down economy, tomorrow’s leaders are born today. It takes vision, focus, and a hyper-connected sense of what customers are looking for and where.

There is still valuable, helpful, and marketable innovation taking place today that people are willing to embrace.

Blindly cutting expenses for the sake of cutting expenses only fuels the hysteria.

VC’s, help educate the people running your investments on how to best navigate these rough waters.

Remember, any company that intentionally pulls itself from the radar screens of potential and existing customers will find itself on a direct path to the Dead Pool.

The question is, what are you going to do about it?

Sequoia Capital (via GigaOM)

Via Inquisitr

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