Nonstop Honolulu Launch Party

Local lifestyle and nightlife portal Nonstop Honolulu — still glowing after surpassing an astonishing one million pageview milestone — held its official “Launch Party” last night at Ka Restaurant & Lounge. Over 300 people attended, most connected via social media and many meeting in person for the first time. The event inspired a lot of enthusiasm and thinking about the value of social media tools.

The social side of social media (Melissa Chang)

Many people only knew each other through social networks and were meeting each other for the first time in person. And that is one of the magical things about events like these, that bring our online communities together. The people who make it to these real-life events, no matter how introverted or extroverted, have a real interest in the people and the world around them. And even after we go back to our respective computers, we’re all better people for reaching out to each other in the first place.

Nonstop party reminder of social media’s real power (Andreas Arvman)

As I walked around and talked to people whom I’ve come to know best through their avatars and Twitter handles, it became very clear to me that what drives people to social media is the pursuit of human connection. For me, this is not about technology. It’s about relationships. The technology is used to keep the relationships afloat until you get another chance for some face time.

A “Swarm” arrives at the Nonstop Honolulu launch party! (Ed Morita)

A social media first for Hawaii happened last night at the Nonstop launch party held at Ka Restaurant and Lounge… It was Hawaii’s first ever “Swarm!” For those of you not familiar with the term “Swarm,” it is an achievement badge from the popular location based mobile app, Foursquare. The “Swarm” badge can be earned by checking into a location on Foursquare with 50 or more people.

Don’t miss the “Party Pics” gallery featuring over 80 photos from the event.

Photo by Melissa Chang, used with aloha.