Thursday, April 12, 2001

The Cyber Scene in Atlanta ~ by Frank Wrenn

Social Cyber-Life in Atlanta Heats Up

While the last several months have lacked the "irrational exuberance" Atlanta netizens enjoyed last year, things may be beginning to heat up again.

Good times returned in an unlikely manner on Thursday, April 12, as displaced Atlanta technology folk enjoyed the town's first official "Pink Slip Party " at Innovox. Billed as "the ultimate networking event for employers, recruiters and job seekers," the Official Pink Slip Party featured food, "Pink Slip Punch," door prizes and "lots of job leads for the jobless." The event was hosted by Amber Moore of web site development firm GenerationX. Sponsors included Headhunter.net, Innovox, Crunch Fitness, Stress Recess, Agnes & Muriel's, Print Time, Intregal, and i-HRMS.com.

I've also recently gotten word of a few other "technology socials." As Gay Bob of 99X says, "Mark it on your calendars:"

Xcelerate is hosting a reception on April 19 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in support of City Council Member Cathy Woolard's campaign for Atlanta City Council President. Members of Atlanta's technology community are invited to attend the reception to be held at 200 Tower Place, 3348 Peachtree Road, Suite 500 in Atlanta. (Located off Peachtree St. or the Georgia 400 Buckhead Loop entrance). Please RSVP to 404-278-3728 or campaign@cathywoolard.com. In addition to Xcelerate, other corporate sponsors include Hewlett-Packard, NavisionDamgaard, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., and Stephen & Alexandra Fleming. Hosts include Bob & Kathy Cunha, Andrew Feiler, John Flippen & Alester Spears, Jaimie Hardin, Trish Jones & Lynn Collins, Randy Keith, Scott Geller & Jennifer Levy, Jerry L. Glover II, and Colin Wright.

Scott Geller, executive director of TechBridge, is also planning the Digital Ball on April 28 with Chris Klaus of Internet Security Systems and Tom Vertin of Silicon Valley Bank. A first-time event, the Digital will unite Atlanta's technology and philanthropy communities on April 28th. The proceeds from this event will go to TechBridge, an organization that helps to extend the "digital advantage," by analyzing the needs of non-profits and implementing much-needed technology-oriented solutions. The model for the Digital Ball is the Silicon Valley Charity Ball, which raised over $1 million last year for charity. With a host/sponsor listing that reads like a technology "Who's Who of Atlanta," this will be huge event. For more information, see www.digitalball.org.

If you have information on Atlanta news and events, send it to me at frank@thecyberscene.com.