Internet entrepreneur, author and renowned geek Chris Pirillo was in Des Moines this weekend and we (the #dmtweetup crew) joined him for an impromptu TweetUp. I got a chance to interview Chris about how Twitter has replaced his RSS reading habits, and I asked him what Des Moines (and Iowa) can do to retain and attract creative talent.

More videos and photos of the event can be found on various Flickr photostreams.

Special thanks to Andy at East Village Books for donating the location space, free coffee and Wifi.

In the coming weeks I’ll be talking about social media as a connectivity, communication and research tool a lot. Below is a round-up of upcoming speaking dates. If you’re interested in attending any of them, please contact the organization/club sponsoring the event, or just shoot me an e-mail.

Thursday, April 17th
Ames Area Public Relations & Marketing Group (PRAM)
12:00 pm
Somerset Clubhouse
Ames, Iowa

Monday, April 28th
Wednesday, April 23rd
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
3:30 pm
Hamilton Hall, Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa

Friday, April 25th
CIRT (Central Iowans in Radio and Television) luncheon
11:30 am
Holiday Inn Downtown
Des Moines, Iowa

Wednesday, April 30th
YPC of Des Moines (Young Professionals Connection)
12:00 pm
Greater Des Moines Partnership Building
Des Moines, Iowa

Friday, May 9th
Rotary Club of Des Moines
7:00 am
Wakonda Club
Des Moines, Iowa