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.

Last Saturday I moved into the new Lava Row office, which is at 400 E. Locust in Des Moines’ gentrified East Village neighborhood. It’s great to finally have a home for the business, especially after a year of working from my house and various coffee shops. Please stop in for a visit if you’re in the area — visitors are always welcome! I’m way up in the tower, as shown in the photo below.

After launching Des Moines’ first TweetUp back in February, my intent was for future events to be de-centralized and self-organizing. I opened up a wiki to let participants discuss ideas for future locations and dates, and almost overnight, others had taken the reins and organized a second TweetUp, which took place this Monday evening at Court Avenue Brewing Company. Based on our unofficial headcount, 17 people showed up — that’s almost triple attendance from last time!

What I love about these events is the opportunity to connect with other people interested in technology and new media here in Des Moines, who I otherwise may never have met. The insights, shared knowledge and ideas formed over cocktails with new friends are extremely valuable, or, as @webboy put it: “It did more for me in one night than LinkedIn did in one year.”

Well said. If you’re interested in joining us for future TweetUps, please check out / join the Des Moines TweetUp wiki and be sure to track updates using the #dmtweetup hashtag method on Twitter.

Just a quick note to announce that I’ve started blogging at IowaBiz.com — a multi-faceted collection of Iowa bloggers talking about various small business topics. I’ll be posting three times per month, covering new media and social media marketing.

Mike Sansone, who previously addressed these subjects at IowaBiz, is stepping aside to further focus his efforts within his business and other arenas. Multiple hat tips to Mike for getting the ball rolling, and to Drew McLellan for inviting me to join the family!

The first post is about Google’s OpenSocial API standard, and why your business should take note of it.

Last night I recorded this quick video at the Des Moines TweetUp with my Flip Video cam. Apologies for the lack of lighting. (We were in an underground drinking establishment.) Twitter-ers in attendance were @mikesansone, @abrudtkuhl, @miketempleton, @scottatdrake, @jakekerber and myself. Looking forward to the next one!

On Wednesday, February 6th, I’ll be speaking at an IABC Iowa luncheon about various social media goodies and their applications in business. (Hat tip to Mike Sansone for setting up this opportunity.)

Also, the FIRST EVER Des Moines TweetUp will be taking place this Thursday the 7th at Shorty’s, beginning at 5:30 pm. If you’re a Twitter user and you’re in the DSM area, please come join us.

So, where’s Shorty’s? Glad you asked. It’s in the basement of a closed-down grocery store at 208 Court Avenue, downtown. (Here’s a map!) Shorty’s doesn’t have a front door, so you have to enter through the alley south of the building. It’s the best bar in DSM, hands down. Feel free to spread the word, and I’ll see you there.

Fellow 515ers Chris Punke and Andy Brudtkuhl have teamed up to create Tech in Iowa — a show that highlights the people, companies and advancements within Iowa’s tech community.

I was invited to participate in the inaugural episode, which can be viewed via the embedded video above, or by heading over to YouTube. In this episode Andy and I discussed social media marketing, viral marketing, and (of course) Whopper Freakout. This is the first of many shows; look for them to be aggregated in the future at TechinIowa.com.

Andy and Chris will surely be accepting ideas for future show content, so feel free to drop them a line on Twitter (@abrudtkuhl and @chrispunke) and make your voice heard.

I love how social media has shaped the 2008 presidential campaign and the broadcast of raw information. Tonight I’ll be participating in an exciting citizen journalism experiment: Twittering results and observations live from my caucus precinct, alongside hundreds of other Iowans. Instructions on how to follow these streams can be found in this Townhall.com blog post, or by following @IowaCaucus. As always, my Twitter feed can be accessed @nathantwright.

Twitter is just one of many “as-it-happens” social mediums (YouTube, blogs, vlogs, etc.) that will be heating up with frenzied activity this evening. Google will even be publishing caucus results as they come in, mashed with their mapping technology (the Iowa Caucus Map).

Happy caucusing!

(Photo by cbrittj via Flickr)

Too often, Des Moines doesn’t get the respect it deserves for being a cool city. For decades we were the butt of jokes, and deservedly so — the town was bleak and uninteresting up until three or four years ago. Something seemingly changed overnight: vibrant nightlife, restaurants, shops and creative subcultures began to emerge and thrive.

Adam Nagourney of The New York Times recently took note of Des Moines during his journey to Iowa to cover the parade of presidential candidates. (And in the travel section, no less!) I was thrilled to see shout-outs in the article for some of my favorite DSM hang-outs: Azalea, a spectacular downtown restaurant, and Smash, a t-shirt shop in the gentrified East Village area.

I’m proud to call Des Moines home, and excited to grow Lava Row here.

Read: In the Spotlight, Ready for Its Close-Up by Adam Nagourney (New York Times)

The Greater Des Moines Partnership wants to know why you love DSM, and they want your answers on YouTube. Spreading the Des Moines gospel is critical to the growth and emergence of our city, so let’s help them out — ultimately, groups like the GDMP can’t do it alone.

So, what do you love about living here? Grabbing a basket of tots and a beer at the High Life Lounge? Our local art community and upstart music scene? Unique shops like SMASH and Eden? Whatever it is, grab a camera and some friends, create a video, then upload it to The YouTubes. If it’s deemed coolest, you can even win up to $1,000. (Full details here.)

While we’re on the subject of Des Moines, here’s a nice piece about the city that some of my good pals at Applied Art helped make. Watch “CREATE”: