Not only did we attend the game, but we sat in the first row of Section 102, right in the midst of Timbers Army, probably the most rabid, fanatical supporters in all of Major League Soccer. For my first MLS game, I’d have to say that it was a ton of fun, for sure, in large part to the Army — a real legion of fans.

I capture some photos and video of the event, but of some of my PIE cohorts, with whom I also attended. Here’s one of the funniest — and nerdiest — sports chants I’ve seen, the Portland Timbers “Tetris” chant:

A few of the photos from the game:

I wonder if Chicago Fire’s Section 8 is this big, or this rowdy. Anyone?

As you know, I’ve been accepted to the Portland Incubator Experiment, a startup accelerator based in the Rose City, out of the Wieden + Kennedy space.

If you’ve seen “Portlandia,” you know the building itself has an interesting layout. Check out this clip:

The folks here took us on a great little tour of the facilities yesterday. Here are some pictures from that tour. Enjoy!

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll post more on my experiences in Cascadia. (In fact, I’m kind of hoping it’s similar to this “Portlandia” portrayal:

I’m kidding, of course, to an extent. We’ll be working our butts off out there, but we’re excited about the opportunity to work with the PIE mentors, as well as the brands (Coke, Nike, Target, Google) and the agency (Wieden + Kennedy) supporting PIE. The folks here have done a bang-up job bringing together a lot of smart people!

If you’re wondering about just what it is that I’m working on, sit tight. You’ll hear about it on here soon enough! In the meantime, if you’d like to recommend any sights, attractions, events, restaurants or bars that I should check out, please let me know by commenting below. Some places I’ve been so far:

- Voodoo Doughnuts: I tried the famous maple bacon bar and the chocolate/Oreo/peanut butter donut. (Click for photos.)
- Rogue Distillery and Public House
- Deschutes Brewery
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters
- The Art in the Pearl festival
- The Portland Saturday Market

There’s more to come, so stay tuned!

In short, it was easily one of the best tech networking events in Chicago I’ve attended. The space was nice, I learned a lot from everyone I talked to and there was a great sense of collaboration, rather than competition, from everyone there.

There’s a great need for more events like this in Chicago. What other tech- and startup-related events in Chicago do you attend? If you’re not in Chicago, are there any you attend in your city or town? Why do you attend?

I’ve run several blogs before, including this one, and Old Media, New Tricks, but it’s critical for early-stage startups to have good, engaging blogs that do several things:

- represent the look and feel of the company (a no-brainer)
- inspire readers to not only tell their friends about the startup
- most importantly, generate new members and new business through case studies and community highlights

In the course of researching startup blogs, there are several that, at least to me, stand out. I’ve listed a few below:

1. Foodspotting

Spotted, the Foodspotting blog, does a fantastic job representing the Foodspotting site, app and community. It’s very visually appealing, and ties in the Foodspotting experience quite well. As a result, posts get shared and commented on pretty regularly.

2. MintLife

Mint’s blog, MintLife, not only reflects Mint, the company, but has established itself as a leading personal finance blog.

3. Evernote Blogcast

Evernote Blogcast, the Evernote blog, covers product news and updates, it differentiates itself by examining what its users are doing to “make the world more notable.” Not only does this put its users in the spotlight, but it also looks at different ways to use the product, kills several birds with one stone. (Suggested by @mkedave on Twitter.)

What else do you think good startup blogs have in common? Are there any others — not listed here — that you think are good examples? Please leave your thoughts as comments below!

We still haven’t launched yet, so I’m not going to say what it is, but there have been some great fringe benefits to working for myself:

- I’ve been exercising again, as well as eating breakfast regularly (and lunch semi-regularly). As a result, I’ve lost seven pounds in the last month, which is how long I’ve been full-time on this baby. (We’ll see if I can keep up this pace; I’m getting married in a little more than a year.)

- When I first started out as a social media professional at the Chicago Tribune, I was eight months out of journalism school and saw the role as a foot in the door at a major news organization. While that experience was great–and the subsequent experiences as well–I’ve wanted to break out of the professional mold of the “social media manager-type.” Just being involved as a co-founder in a startup has done that, and my network has expanded significantly as a result.

- Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that I’m working for myself. The effort I put in directly correlates to what I get out of it. It’s extraordinarily difficult to get that sort of satisfaction working for someone else, even at a company you really like.

There’s always a chance things won’t work out. Either way, I’ve learned a ton in the last few months, and I’ll be able to take these experiences, and others, to my next gig.

(NOTE: Two more benefits I just realized: my Klout score has gone up five points over the last 30 days. Not that I care about my Klout score, but it’s still nice to have. I’ve also finally had time to update my blog to WordPress 3.1.3, and tweak the template and plugin settings.)

Do you work for yourself? What are some other benefits you’ve experienced as a result? Please leave your thoughts below!

With that said, I’m formally announcing a move: I’ll be the new social media manager for Sears Home Electronics, a multi-billion dollar division for an even bigger multi-billion dollar company: Sears.

Here’s why I elected to take the social media gig over there:

1. A strong team with an aggressive approach My buddy Scott Murphy introduced me to some of the digital/social media folks with several of Sears’ business units several months back. In his recent letter to shareholders, Sears CEO Eddie Lampert wrote the following:

“…social networking and social media have only just begun to have an impact on shopping, and it is a revolution we intend to harness going forward.”

Sears is harnessing the power and wisdom of the crowds in its MySears and MyKmart communities, on Facebook, Twitter , YouTube and elsewhere on the web. I look forward to extending Sears’ presence in the retail electronics world, creating content and conversations that drive awareness and — hopefully — the bottom line.

2. A chance to be in the driver’s seat once more. Self-explanatory; I’ll be reporting to the business unit CMO, Eddie Combs.

All in all, I’ve spent a good nine months at Weber Shandwick, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have learned about the agency business and public relations. I’ve worked with some great folks, including Adam Keats and the WS Chicago team, Chris Perry, Margot Savell, George Snell, Richard Nevins, Wade Rockett, Greg Swan, Andy Schueneman, Patrick Chaupham, Andy Keith and many others.

Moving over to Sears allows me to take the next step in my professional development, and I’m proud to be joining the Sears Blue Crew.

Before I start at Sears, however, I’ll be taking a week off to run various much-needed errands, including:

- finally writing that piece for Mashable
- hosting the first Chicago Cigar Tweetup; please RSVP if you want to come!
- cleaning out the front closet

Anyway, here’s my audio Wine Soiree review.

Enjoy!

I started last week as a digital communications supervisor at Weber Shandwick. My time at Tribune Company was great, but I like a new challenge. I look forward to learning the ropes of the agency world!

Here’s the official announcement from Weber Shandwick.

I figured that if I had never heard of it, you may not have either. So here’s an interview with Mary Nisi, a CHIRP board member.

What are your thoughts on the project? Do you think it’s a good idea? Do you think it will work?