a Guest Blogger

Clara Shih debuted her new book, The Facebook Era, last week at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. We caught up with her to her talk about the conference, social media and the book, which delves into how social media tools are changing people's behavior, expectations, and relationships. Other Interviews at the Web 2.0: - Lucian Tarnowski on Getting Jobs through Social Media - Asya Shein of Fusicology - Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, Customer...

New style dirty martini with brine foam and sphericated olive | Photo by John Oliver The recent opening of the SLS Hotel on La Cienega added another super-trendy bar and restaurant to the scene in Los Angeles. Although the under-age Chris Brown hung out there until about 3 a.m. a week after the Rihanna incident, it hasn't turned into one of the celebrity charade bars (at least not yet). So, what is it like?...

Jeffrey Kalmikoff is a partner and the Chief Creative Officer at Threadless/skinnyCorp, the Chicago based site that let's everyone submit t-shirt designs--if you're chosen, you get $2,500. Over at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco last week, we met up with Kalmikoff who gave us the low down on his company, building customer trust and his views on communities motivated by passion instead of profits. You can find him on Twitter at @jeffrey...

Last week at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, we met up with Lucian Tarnowski (his Twitter is @luciantarnowski), the founder and CEO of BraveNewTalent.com. The social media and youth leadership evangelist speaks to us about the ambitious new project that is inspired by Obama's social media campaign. Other Interviews at the Web 2.0: - Asya Shein of Fusicology - Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, Customer Service and Social Media Consultant - William Marc Salsberry,...

By John Oliver, Special to LAist It's time to eat and the place to be is Monterey Park. Over a couple visits to the San Gabriel Valley city, we tried two excellent restaurants that had very flavorful food at very economical prices. First was Lucky City (415 W. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park), which is easy to get to from I-10. There is ample parking and although reviews have said the service is brusque, it really...

We met up with local photographer William Marc Salsberry at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco last week and asked what he feels is the difference between the technology scenes in Los Angeles and San Francisco and about his photography work. As he mentions in the video, his Twitter is @wmmarc and his work can be found on his Flickr page. Other Interviews at the Web 2.0: - Alexia Tsotsis of LA Weekly...

Asya Shein is the founder and owner of the locally owned website Fusicology, which focuses on progressive music and culture through events and content in 18--soon to be 22--cities around the North America. Over at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco last week, we learned about her website and asked her what we've been asking everyone--what's the difference between the Los Angeles and San Francisco tech scenes? Other Interviews at the Web 2.0:...

Up at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco last week, we met Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, a Los Angeles based Senior Analyst at Forrester Research. She has a lot of good ideas regarding how social media is changing the world of customer service, and for good, too. After all, a customer can ruin your brand in seconds these days. "Customer service is the new sales," she said in the interview. "If you don't get...

SF and LA Weekly's tech and business reporter Alexia Tsotsis is up here with us at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. She talks to us about the difference between the tech scenes in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, what she's covering for her readers and what the heck Web 2.0 is and where it's going. By Mark Dienger, Special to LAist...

Here at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, lots of Los Angeles based web entrepreneurs are here for the annual and popular--although less attended this year--event. Here is Mike Prasad, who just launched GirlGamer.com. He's also the brand/social media guy for the all popular Kogi BBQ and is head of tech for the exclusive Black Card Circle. Earlier, we interviewed Sean Percival. By Mark Dienger, Special to LAist...