We had a great turn out at our Third Tuesday event this month. The word got out, one person told another, and the group got larger than usual. For a minute, I was worried that everyone would not fit on the back patio, but then I realized that it was kind of nice, because we came together as one big happy family. Gathered round the table, passing the garlic and pepper, we munched on pizza, shared stories and supported each other like a family should.

Thanks again to all who came! We loved hanging with you and hearing about your dreams, passions, ideas and projects. Keep it coming. Best of luck to you all!

Wanna join our happy family? Come to our next Third Tuesday event on August 17th. Get your tickets at: http://thirdtuesday.eventbrite.com/

Like any startup, SocialWish is constantly looking for feedback on its business model, our growth strategy, and even our marketing plans. Sometimes that feedback comes from other entrepreneurs we meet at events such as NY Tech Mixer, Web2NY, The Hatchery, Stamford Tech Meetup, or Third Tuesday and sometimes when we get a chance to meet with VCs and Angels.

Bain Capital just made meeting with VCs a whole lot easier by holding office hours every Friday through the Bain Capital Ventures Innovation Center.

Each Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. Eastern time, entrepreneurs can meet with at least one Bain Capital Ventures staff member (principal, managing director or associate) for 15 to 20 minutes at Bain Capital Ventures’ Boston office or at the Venture Cafe in Cambridge, Mass. Some of Bain’s 33 managing directors, principals and associates will rotate each week into the office hours.

Being a startup often means working 24/7/365.  The standard 8 or 9 hour work day quickly turns into a dream, the distinction between week days and weekend fades, and holidays and vacations become non-existent.  We’re very familiar with that schedule. Sometimes though, we do allow ourselves to take a break (shhh…don’t tell anyone), especially when it comes to celebrating important events.   On July 4th, we took a few hours off to have a BBQ with some friends in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and enjoy the fireworks.  And I have plenty of mosquito bites to prove it! LOL

How was your holiday weekend?  Long and enjoyable, I hope

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Get into the spirit of Independence Day by showing some love for your country on SocialWish. Help your community and the land you’re proud of by donating to these wonderful causes. Or simply start a social fundraiser of your own.

• Help 110 Families Affected by Autism (for AutismSpeaks.org)
• Help Create Public Murals in Jersey City
• Help DIYgenomics crowd-source clinical trials (for DIYgenomics.org)
  

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe July 4th holiday!

First, let me start by saying that Social Media Day is a genius idea. I think it makes us stop and think about all the social benefits brought on by media. It truly is a revolution and has changed so many lives. As a user of various social networking tools, I have to say that the change has been positive. Kudos to Mashable for not only creating a special day to honor this, but also for making it social in the real world! It’s one thing to sit behind a keyboard and post to Twitter and Facebook. It’s totally another to come out and socialize with people you are following from the virtual world.

Ok, now let’s get to the celebration – what we did, where we were and who we met yesterday…I know you want to know.

• WHAT – We partied with Mashable at the Social Media Day NY Meetup, of course. One of the top 10 meetup locations – woohoo!
• WHERE – At a bar in midtown called The Mean Fiddler, where the drinks were flowing and the conversations agoing. The place was packed, but fortunately the party was spread out between 2 floors. Ahhh…room to breath.
• WHO – We saw a few peeps we already knew and even some SocialWish fans, but we made some new friends too. Here are some pics (there would’ve been more if I didn’t forget to take my camera out the bag throughout the night…ugh!).

Got your own celebration story to share? Let us know what you did for Social Media Day.

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