Lunch 2.0

Jeremiah (host of the upcoming Lunch 2.0 Web Expo Blowout at Hitachi Data Systems) just pointed me to an article in The Register about Tim Berners-Lee complaining that “Web 2.0″ is all hype and nothing new. As evidence that the “2.0″ suffix has become trendy and meaningless, the author Gavin Clarke writes:

We have: SOA 2.0, enterprise 2.0, grid 2.0, VoIP 2.0, voice 2.0, BPM 2.0, Office 2.0 and – outside of pure technology – advertising 2.0 and marketing 2.0 (both – naturally – taking advantage of Web 2.0’s social networking technologies), business development 2.0 and – subverting the genre – hidsight 2.0 and lunch 2.0.

I don’t know what to be prouder of–the fact that we were included in this article, or that we’re apparently “subverting the genre”!  

But actually, when I think about it, Lunch 2.0 really does embody a lot of what (with all due respect to Sir Berners-Lee) makes Web 2.0 special: connecting people to people (meeting fellow valley folk and seeing how they work), user-generated content (all of the work is done by companies choosing to host lunch 2.0 events–they even write the announcements!), and customers as active participants (if you didn’t come to lunch 2.0, it wouldn’t exist, and it certainly wouldn’t be as fun and colorful as you always make it!). So in response to Mr. Clarke, I’d say if anything, we exemplify the genre!

Thanks to you all for making lunch 2.0 what it is, and regardless of what happens to web 2.0, we’re here to stay!

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Woohoo, the Zazzle widget is workin’ inside a blog post

Please feel free to peruse the merchandise. And remember, tomorrow’s lunch is at Zazzle (and you can create a gallery just like this one!)

Linda Holroyd of Fountain Blue has invited us Lunch 2.0ers to a networking lunch next Monday. Register to attend (and make sure to select the free “Web 2.0 Entrepreneurs” option )

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Dear Lunch 2.0 Entrepreneurs,

FountainBlue and Kirkpatrick & Lockhart are pleased to host a monthly High Tech Entrepreneurs’ Forum, which is free for Web 2.0 entrepreneurs.

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 10 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Kirkpatrick and Lockhart offices 630 Hansen Way in Palo Alto. To register for your free ticket, visit http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=104576 and select the free Web 2.0 option. Space is limited. You must register to attend.

About the Forums:
FountainBlue’s High Tech Entrepreneurs’ Forum is a networking, education and support group for high-tech entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley. This monthly lunch meeting is designed to share successes and challenges in a safe environment, focused on helping fellow members run and grow their entrepreneurial ventures. Each month, we focus on a different theme of interest to entrepreneurs and feature a guest facilitator with deep experience helping entrepreneurs.

Who’s Invited:
The SV High Tech Entrepreneurs’ Forum is open to high tech entrepreneurs & their teams (such as staff members, advisers, board members or investors) with a wide range of entrepreneurial experience, at various stages of growing or supporting a new or existing entrepreneurial venture. Note that this event is for entrepreneurs only, no service providers please. Seating is limited to no more than 40 participants.

Theme and Guest Facilitators:
The theme for this month is Sales Strategies for Entrepreneurs and our guest facilitators are Mike Griego, CEO of MXL Partners http://www.mxlpartners.com , and Jeffrey Walker, CEO of Atlassian http://www.atlassian.com . Mike is an experienced sales professional who provides high-impact strategic and tactical corporate sales and marketing consulting services and best-practice sales training programs for entrepreneurs and executives. Jeffrey is an experience entrepreneur who is now the CEO of a small start-up where he has successfully implemented programs generating 25% annual growth without outside funding.

Agenda:
11:30 Registration, Lunch and Networking
12:00 Welcomes and Introductions – name, company, company stage and burning question.
12:30 Sales Success Story – Jeffrey Walker, CEO of Atlassian; Mike Griego, CEO of MXL Partners
12:35 Mike and Jeff facilitate a roundtable discussion around the sales questions raised during the introductions
1:25 Meeting Review, Follow-Ups Assigned, Next Meeting Announced
1:30 Thank Yous and Close, Networking
Registration: NO SERVICE PROVIDERS PLEASE.
General admission is $15, but partnership rates are $10. The registration fee includes lunch, program, networking and follow-up notes. Seating is limited to no more than 40 participants. To register, visit http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=104576.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:
We are grateful to our generous sponsor, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart http://www.klng.com!
For more information:
Visit http://www.fountainblue.biz/events/entrepreneursforum.html for more information about FountainBlue’s SV High Tech Entrepreneurs’ program.
Visit http://www.fountainblue.biz/resources/entrepreneursnotes.html for notes from previous sessions.
Visit http://www.fountainblue.biz/calendar.html for a list of other upcoming FountainBlue events. Visit http://www.acteva.com/go/FountainBlue to register for any of these upcoming events.
Visit http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/SVEntrepreneurs to join FountainBlue’s mailing list for SV entrepreneurs.

E-mail Linda.Holroyd@FountainBlue.biz with any questions.

Hope to see you there!