New York – July 11, 1997 (Full Issue)

Related Links:
Communications Week merging
EarthWeb’s Roof top party
ICON-o-graphic
I-Traffic’s New Digs
Calendar of Events

July 11, 1997

Communications Week merging
Welcome back from your Fourth of July festivites! Whether you were in our glorious hot sticky city or not, drop me a line tell me how your 4th was! Better yet come chat about it. We now have an @THE SCENE virtual cyberschmooze chat space, courtesy of E-Pub for all the gossip and cyber schmoozing you can handle [see the bottom of the column for details]. It’ll be up all the time–unless there’s naughtiness, so be good. We’ll also be announcing some special monthly chats at various cyber events.

Speaking of cyber events, the digital crowd juggled several over the last two weeks.

On Wednesday, June 25, I encountered many (almost too) media and ad people at CMP MEDIA‘s party celebrating the transformation of Communications Week into InternetWeek (a change announced shortly after the company folded it’s consumer Net pub Netguide). The event marked the Manhasset-based company’s acknowledgement of the impact of the Net on the nerdy world of network communications. At least that’s what Julie Parent and Mercedes Acosta, both of CMP, told me. Set in the cozy Au Bar with wooden arches trisecting the downstairs room, the party provided opportunities to drink with media kids, lounge with friends on faded upholstered banquettes, or dance on the slippery parquet floor. Andrew Fekula of DDB Needham did some fine groovin’, decked in a Hawaiian print shirt and Bermuda shorts.

Frank Bellocchio, of Bay Networks, was a friendly chap, sharing some anedotes with Raj Sharma, of Bristol Meyers Squibb. You can imagine my thrill at finding out that Raj actually works as the Associate Director of Toxology for Clariol and tests the safety of their products. Okay girls, if you wanna go a little blond for the summer months — check out Clairol’s Ultress Born Blond, Ultimate Blonde, or Hydriance (which has less peroxide)!

When asked why he was at such an event, Dan Spiner, Managing Director of Progressive Strategies, exclaimed cheerfully, “I like to be out!’ He must, because his company, which analyzes hardware and software products, has grown to 40 people in 2 years.

EarthWeb’s Roof top party
The same night EarthWeb hosted a party to launch their new Moderator software package for managing chat environments. No management needed to handle the crowd of chatters on hand to enjoy the rooftop with barbeque, good ol’ greasy sliders, a view of a smokestack, and the typical club dance/bar/lounge scene inside.

I bumped into cyberscribe Katherine Cavanaugh. Tony Raposo and Matt Toner of the Canadian Consulate General in NY were on hand. The duo have become regulars on the cyberparty circuit. A bit far south for Canadians, eh? “Just part of their invasion,” they admitted. Heather Champ, another Canadian, ran past to chat with EarthWeb’s Alex Chaffee and up-and-coming-hip-DJ Jon Spooner. Another runner Taura Null of I-Traffic–who raced in the Corporate Challenge earlier in the week–joined Mike Essl of Chopping Block in the pleasant evening weather. One EarthWebian I managed to buttonhole with was Matthew Work, Director of Strategic Planning. He’s got quite the job considering how hot chat and community enabling software has become.

Some partygoers managed to made over to the DoubleClick party at (where else?) Twins! It must’ve been fun considering they had (can you guess?) 2 for 1 drinks.

ICON-o-graphic
On Monday, June 30, ICON held a hot party to celebrate the second anniversary of it’s trend setting Webzine Word. When I say hot, I mean hot. Someone forgot to turn on the air conditioning in the Audart Gallery–an interior windowless space on 60 Broad St. They should’ve just passed out towels at the door ’cause the party was more like a suana than a schmooze. Word publisher Thomas Livacarri huddled with his wife in the the single room equipped with a tiny room unit air conditioner hoping feel a puff of cool air as it blew past. About the only people dressed for the sweltering occasion were the scantily clad go-go girls dancing on raised cubes to cheesey mid-sixties fake pop music in the front room. Take that Razorfish!

I-Traffic’s New Digs
I-Traffic–the online media buyers who specialize in driving traffic to sites for Hearst, Disney and other clients–managed to drive lots of traffic to their new corporate digs at 375 Broadway for an office opening party on Wednesday, July 2nd. Giveaways included frisbees and wind-sparkler-mobiles. Coming up in the elevator I spoke with Primus of Sensenet, and Chopping Block’s Matthew Richmond. Laura Petrecca, reporter for Advertising Age and I exchanged deadline quips and spoke for a bit with Mary Dawne Arden. Ms. Arden, a marketing and media consultant, is a Professor at NYU for Speech and Communications, and came out of a career in show business and running modeling and charm schools. Quite the career path, no? Justin Green and Uta Knablein of GCDI reveled in our plans of traveling across the country with Greg Ellin in the 2nd Silicon Alley to Valley Rally.

UPCOMING EVENTS: July 15: The Long Island Web Design Guild is having its next meeting on Tuesday from 7:30-9:30 at Cafe Connect in Jericho. The group serves as a networking and skills exchange resource for Web site creators and Web graphic artists on Long Island. People of all skill levels are welcome. The focus of this meeting will be that fun-filled topic of Web Design contracts and “dealing with clients”.

July 16: NYNMA Circle Line Cruise

July 28: STRANGERS IN THE NET, Long Island’s first live Internet event, featuring the music of The Lonesharks and accompanied by IRC from chat sites around the world. The band will perform at the venerable Hansom House, 256 Elm Street, in the heart of Southampton Village, Long Island, New York. 9:30 p.m. EDT.The event is sponsored by HamptonClick and Hamptons Online For further info: Stacey Donovan at (516) 267-8678.