Minneapolis on the Digital Cities A List
Minneapolis is continuing to evolve as an area with regard to practitioners who know their craft. This influence is not just local but on a national level. While most on the left and right coasts still see MSP as a cow town on the digital innovation list, we are right there in the mix of cities pushing the conversation including NYC, LAX, SFO/SJC, SEA, CHI, BOS, Austin, etc.
Local practitioners are also having influence on the enterprise helping $40B companies like Best Buy transform into a platform. This starts with persons like Steve Bendt @sbendt (now with MSFT) and Gary Koelling @garykoelling who sit down with C-Level peeps who control budgets like Barry Judge @bestbuycmo and teach, train, and educate. They are like moles in a sleeper cell, activating the organization by hosting activities like Social Media Breakfast @smbsmc/ Social Media Club @socialmediaclub with Rick Mahn @rickmahn, conversations with authors/influencers (Jeff Jarvis @JeffJarvis , David Meerman Scott @dmscott, Jeff Pulver @JeffPulver). These in turn influence new cultures of listening like @Twelpforce, Best Buy’s new army of listeners.
Next month General Mills is hosting BlogWell, Andy Sernovitz @Sernovitz and the Social Media Council for a conversation with Ford, WallMart, McDonalds, and others on enterprise social media. Don Smith @djsmith4 and Jim Cuene @jcuene helped influence the organization to open up.
Hopefully more start-ups stay in town and are funded locally. Persons who assist in this area Graeme Thickinks @graemethickens, Jamie Thingelstad @thingles, Marty Nyman @Martone , Kim Garretson @kimgarretson, Garrick Van Buren @garrickvanburen, Aki Spicer @akispicer will be the ones to watch as well as MSP locals in SFO building new businesses like Jeff Pester @uniquevisitor or Thomas Knoll @thomasknoll. Other persons advancing their industries include Lee Odden @leeodden, Tim Brunell @timbrunell, William Jurewicz @bjurewicz, Connie Bensen @conniebensen, Albert Maruggi @alburtmaruggi, Paul Debettignies @mnheadhunter and Josh Kahn @joshuakahn.
If you get it share it, and MSP should share even more their story of transformation with the world. We have the practitioners, authors, evangelists, in-house educators, and F500s to make this one of the most vibrant digital communities around. Be sure to check out Seth Godin at the MIMA Summit.
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For proof that Minneapolis is at the leading edge of digital technologies, look no further than your local museums: they are among the best in the world in the use of new & social media and are highly regarded and studied by in the museum community globally.