#BATHH stands for “Big Ass Twitter Happy Hour” because not only has it grown into a large monthly event, but we primarily use Twitter as the promotional tool. Not everyone that attends is on Twitter but we let them in anyway because we’re super nice people. We all get off of the computers for a night and grab a beer together downtown.

There’s no guest speaker, there’s no raffle, there’s no cover and there’s no sales pitch- it’s an organically grown social event where people let their hair down. There are business cards swapped, but the point is to connect on a more intimate friendly level with locals (isn’t that how business flows best anyhow? You know it is).

Follow all September attendees with one click:

If you met some new people and can’t remember their names (either because you’re bad with names, their tag was illegible or the mojitos were extra strong that night), you don’t have to remember, it’s all here! For everyone who was a good boy or girl and signed in at the registration table, we’ve published a list of everyone that attended and with one click, you can follow everyone on Twitter that went to the September #BATHH. Easy, no?

If you were in attendance but don’t see your name on the alphabetized list, let us know by telling @newmedialab on Twitter… if we missed you, it’s not personal, we probably just couldn’t read someone’s writing!

Pictures from #BATHH

This month, we had two really talented photographers workin’ it, workin’ it: @MitchAhrens and @AnnieRayDotNet.

**CLICK HERE for photobooth pictures by Annie Ray.
**CLICK HERE for candid photography by Mitch Ahrens.

To see pictures from #BATHH events of the past, click here.

Save the date: the next #BATHH is on October 21st at 6:30pm; the location will be announced here soon, so click the orange “NewMediaLab RSS” button to subscribe to this blog in your feed reader or come back next week to find out where we’ll #BATHH!

Picture above courtesy of Mitch Ahrens, taken at the August #BATHH.

#BATHH stands for “Big Ass Twitter Happy Hour” because not only has it grown into a large monthly event, we primarily use Twitter as the promotional tool (meaning not all attendees are on Twitter and that’s cool). We all get off of the computers for a night and grab a beer together downtown. There’s no guest speaker, there’s no raffle, there’s no cover and there’s no sales pitch, it’s an organically grown social event where people let their hair down. There are business cards swapped, but the point is to connect on a more intimate friendly level with locals (isn’t that how business flows best anyhow? You know it is).

Follow all August attendees with one click:

If you met some new people and can’t remember their names (either because you’re bad with names, their tag was illegible or the mojitos were extra strong that night), you don’t have to remember, it’s all here! For everyone who was a good boy or girl and signed in at the registration table, we’ve published a list of everyone that attended and with one click, you can follow everyone on Twitter that went to the August #BATHH . Easy, no?

Check out the pictures

This month, we had two really talented photographers capturing the fun, Candid shots by @MitchAhrens and Photo Booth by @AnnieRayDotNet. We use them for our events and you should too!

To see pictures from #BATHH events of the past, click here.

When is the next #BATHH?

The next event is on September 16th at Union Park (where we’ll be for the rest of the year) and you should RSVP now with your Twitter or Facebook account and hey, bring a friend!

Picture courtesy of Mitch Ahrens, taken at the August #BATHH.

There are lots of pictures of past events, but this is about when we got a little more organized about it and started doing photo booths. If you have pictures of your favorite #BATHH event, be sure to share them in the comments below!

This post will be updated each month with new links to new pictures, feel free to bookmark.

Many conferences now days base their panels upon the popularity of a topic (or for that matter a speaker) and in all cases prior, we have skipped asking our clients and friends for a vote, but this time is different- we swear! South by Southwest Interactive is one of the largest, most industry significant conferences in the world and the panelists like us have to jump through an extensive series of hoops and compete with thousands of other potential panelists before we get up on that stage.

Panel topic: is the glass ceiling for women in tech startups real?

With a rise in the number of women registering for the SXSWi conference, there is piqued interest from the conference in this particular topic. It is one that is controversial and I have personally witnessed first hand at several conferences and companies. Some say that the glass ceiling is blatantly obvious while others say it is self imposed and we intend to have speakers on the panel from both sides.

As a woman in the industry, I have intensely strong feelings on the topic (although I won’t tell you which side I’m on quite yet), and I believe this topic is important to approach, given the nature of the conference being well populated by tech startups.

If you agree that this topic is critical…

…then please, click the image below to go give it a thumbs up and if you feel inclined, leave a comment there noting why you would urge SXSW to include this panel. We need your vote!
Voting requires SXSW sign in, but it’s painless, we promise!

BONUS:

If you’re having a blast with voting, please also vote for our other panel, “Mobile Technologies That Crush Old-School Real Estate Paradigms.” We appreciate your support!

If you have a SXSW panel, we appreciate your refraining from promoting it here. Thank you.

#BATHH is an acronym for “Big Ass Twitter Happy Hour” (yes, cuss word included, we’re in the South, yous guys!) held monthly in Austin and free for all to attend. There are no sponsors and no one trying to sell you anything, just a room full of people that want to get offline and put faces to names of people they’ve met online.

Follow all attendees with one click:

If you attended this month or simply want to connect with other people in Austin on Twitter, simply CLICK HERE to follow everyone that went to the July #BATHH! We do this because some people are bad with names or maybe the mojitos were extra good last week.

Sidenote: if you attended and your name is not on the list, there is a very good chance that I couldn’t read the writing at the check in table, so let us know in comments and we’ll add you!

Want pictures from July’s event?

We were delighted to have the very talented @MitchAhrens as our volunteer roving photographer this month and he’s put up his first batch of shots from last week (despite power outages from the storm), click here to see what’s up so far! If you like what he’s done, please consider hiring him for your next party, event, or if you don’t have any of those, just send dolla bills, y’all!

When is the next #BATHH?

For those of you that are calendar obsessed like me, mark your calendars for August 19th at Union Park next to Katz’ Deli. We’ll be releasing the invitation this weekend or early next week, so stay tuned!

Looking for your thoughts

If you want to be quoted in an upcoming article about #BATHH, please email austinlabs@gmail.com or leave your thoughts in comments. Tell us why you like #BATHH, or tell us about your first one, or even tell us what volunteering at check in has done for you- anything good or bad (bad? how could that be?!) is welcomed.

And, as always, if you have any ideas on how to improve this free, organic event, we’re always looking for cool ideas, give us a shout!

To get ready, and so you know someone in advance of the party, or simply to get ready so you know more people in advance of the party, CLICK HERE to follow everyone on Twitter that has already RSVPd yes to #BATHH.

If you haven’t RSVPd yet, it’s free and you should. Right now! It’s easy, just click here.

We’d like your feedback- does following people in advance of the happy hour help you or is it a waste of our time? We hope you’ll opine in comments below!

June was a blast, and we’ll be at Union Park on 6th again, so mark your calendar for July 22nd for this month’s #BATHH and please, bring a friend from work or a neighbor to show them that people on Twitter and other social networks are normal, fun and very Austin-y… all walks of life are welcome!

RSVP, y’all!

RSVP here now and tell your friends- ask anyone, #BATHH is the most fun happy hour in Austin!

Each month, we host what we’ve lovingly named the “Big Ass Twitter Happy Hour” (BATHH) where people come from the internet to meet offline. No one is selling anything, there are no speakers or sponsors, everyone just comes together to mingle and get to know each other and it’s a brilliant networking opportunity because it is a passive happy hour.

It’s so passive that not everyone signs in or wears a nametag (which is actually required to get into this free yet private event). That said, last month, we were able to wrangle nearly 150 people at the sign in table (which is lovingly run by volunteers) and if you want a great group of people to follow in Twitter, click here to follow all attendees that signed in, with ONE CLICK!

What about the upcoming #BATHH?

Want to join us for the next #BATHH? It’s on June 17th starting at 6:30pm at Union Park, RSVP here with your Twitter or Facebook account and feel free to bring guests even if they’re not online yet.

The event is run by several volunteers who will be helping you sign in and find your way around, and we encourage you to follow them in advance, so please do so now by clicking their names below:

Sign in table:

• 6:00-7:00 @justthisguy, @caitstuff & @cmj519
• 7:00-8:00 @bigmikeinaustin & @prwoman1
• 8:00-9:00 @sejose24 & @willsmom

Hosts (that’s us): @LaniAR & @BennRosales

It’s time for this month’s Twitter happy hour and we want you to invite your friends that are coming to SXSW, your coworkers or your neighbors- let’s show people that we’re normal and not living in our mom’s basement playing WoW all day and night (well, at least not most of us). RSVP HERE to the March Twitter Happy Hour on March 11th by using your Twitter or Facebook account- bring a friend!

Last month’s Twitter Happy Hour was a hit and even though it was cold and rainy, nearly 300 Austinites showed up and had a blast!

This time around, we might have a drink ticket or two to throw your way, but as always, it’s a cash bar- let’s support Frank’s, an independent business that offers cold beer and hot dogs (and they are DELISH!).

Call for volunteers

So far, we have help for the organizing but need help at the sign in table:
5:30-6:30
6:30-7:30
7:30-8:30
8:30-9:30

All volunteers have to do is get people badged, signed in, marked up, drink ticketed and introduced to the landscape. Must have a good smile and good handwriting (please, please, please) and willing to meet new people. Email austinlabs at gmail.com if you’re interested in volunteering (this post will be updated as volunteers sign up).

Thanks and we’ll see everyone on the 11th!

In true Austin fashion, the entrepreneur community has come together to share ideas and information for free to help other entrepreneurs ranging from how to lease your first office, how to market your company, how to find funding and of course, how to use technology in your business. Full RISE info can be found here where you can sign up for tons of sessions!

TWO of us at New Media Lab are hosting sessions, and we’d like for you to join us! If you’ve never been to a coworking space (perfect for freelancers to have a really cheap office), we’re being hosted by two local coworking spaces so you can see what they look like and how they work since that can be a big part of early entrepreneurs’ lives.

SESSION: How to hire a social median, COST: $0

(and why you shouldn’t leave it in the intern’s hands)

About: With the rise of social networking, companies of all phases are looking to leverage social media to spread their message, drive sales and brand themselves and are hiring social media managers. There are pitfalls to this process to avoid and advantages to learn, so join us to discuss how to go about hiring a social media professional.

Speaker: NML CEO, Benn Rosales
When: Wednesday 03.03.2010, 8:00am – 9:30am
Where: Cospace, 911 West Anderson Lane Suite 203, Austin, TX 78757 (click here for map)
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!

SESSION: Developing a diverse online community, COST: $0

About: Because like minds converge, one of the biggest challenges to an online community is finding, promoting and encouraging diversity and that key element is critical to any healthy digital community. We’ve built a web community of over 100,000 people from across the nation and enjoy a richly diverse group which has helped our niche site to be profitable and experience more rapid growth.

Speaker: NML President, Lani Rosales
When: Wednesday 03.03.2010, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Where: Texas Coworking, 200 E. 6th Street 3rd Floor (Hannig Row Bldg), Austin, TX 78701 (map)
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!