What are you doing New Year’s Eve?
This seriously makes me smile. I’d LOVE to hang out with Zooey and Joe!
More big news…I’m joining the INFORUM Board of Directors!
A few months ago, Julie Crabill planted a seed that I ignored for a while. I decided recently that it was time to give some attention to that seed and see what it was all about. I had a meeting a few weeks ago with Caroline Moriarity-Sacks, Director of INFORUM at The Commonwealth Club of California, and am happy to announce that I am joining the INFORUM Board of Directors as the Programming Co-Chair. I’ll be focused on creating fun and engaging experiences YOU would want to attend. I mean, it’s what I do best, right?
If you’re not familiar with INFORUM, you should be! INFORUM is the fastest growing division of The Commonwealth Club, as well as one of the largest professional groups for people in their 20′s and 30′s in the Bay Area. The numbers this past year have increased significantly and I’m going to tell all of you ‘early adopters’ to check it out if you haven’t already.
INFORUM produces events across numerous verticals including business, culture, environment, food, politics, media, tech and science, so there’s something for everyone! Recent speakers include Spike Lee, Reid Hoffman, Jaime Oliver, Gavin Newsom, and Michael Minna. Recent topics that have been covered include Doing Business in China, Soldiers Back from Iraq, Urban Singles, Hot Young Chefs, Online Personas, The State of the Arts in San Francisco, and Middle East History 101. Surely SOMETHING on that list interests you.
To stay in the know about what’s coming up, you have a few options:
- Become a member of INFORUM to receive discounted ticket prices, invites to member only events and be first to know what’s coming up!
- Follow INFORUM on Twitter at @INFORUMsf for upcoming event info, quick tidbits and local highlights.
- Friend us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/INFORUMsf. Check out who else ‘likes’ us, detailed info on events and share your thoughts on what events you’d like to attend.
- Join our group on LinkedIn to professionally connect with other members.
You can also purchase tickets to the next event on December 1, How To Get Your Holiday Squeeze On: Sex & Dating in SF. Who’s bringing the mistletoe?
*Cheers,
Celebrating Samasource at the Give Work Gala
Take note of the name Samasource as it’s one you should definitely know about. In short, they bring dignified, computer-based work to women, youth, and refugees living in poverty. There’s a huge trend of outsourcing work, no matter how big or how small the job is, but Samasource takes that trend and uses it for training and educating workers in Africa with Samasource account managers and QA professionals overseeing the work. In their words:
Samasource is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects people living in poverty to work via the Internet. In parallel, we provide high-quality content moderation, data entry, and other outsourcing services to clients including LinkedIn, Intuit, and the US State Department.
Samasource’s San Francisco-based sales and delivery teams work with clients to move large data projects to a proprietary online work distribution system, the SamaHub. Dedicated, full-time workers around the world access the SamaHub from delivery centers monitored by Samasource staff. Samasource account managers and QA professionals ensure quality, accuracy, and fast turnaround times.
Samasource derives its name from the Sanskrit word sama, which means equal, and was founded in 2008. The company’s board and management team includes experts in the fields of distributed work, economic development, and outsourcing.
I remember meeting Leila Janah, Founder and CEO, a few years ago and talking with her about ways we could work together. Things didn’t pan out much at that time, but I’ve followed the Samasource success ever since. I’m quick to share about them with others and have often suggested Leila as a speaker for social good events and conferences.
I’m very honored to have received an invite to the Give Work Gala this evening and am excited to celebrate the amazing work Samasource has done over the past year as well as what’s coming up in their future. If you’re interested in learning how to get involved by giving work, donating or volunteering, please check them out.
Super Bass brings super excitement!
I’m don’t usually watch videos that are shared via Facebook, but am so glad I came across this video earlier this week. It literally brought tears to my eyes watching how excited Sophia Grace is to meet her idol, Nicki Minaj.
Ellen first interviews Sophia and her cousin, Rosie. This girl is going to be a triple threat with her voice, dancing (you’ll see in the next video) and her British accent!
*I also love pink…and fluffy dresses!
And then Ellen brings Nicki to the stage. I love the message that Nicki gives to Sophia and Rosie.
This little girl just can NOT contain her excitement…but why should she? Let me just say that Sophia is inspiration for me to learn Super Bass to rock out at karaoke sometime soon.
Hoping you find something exciting this week that makes you jump up and down. 
*Cheers,
