I'm Bret Lang, creator of My Coffee Clutch. Let me be the first to say welcome to this site. I have been involved with the internet since it's beginning days. During that time, I have seen it's drastic effects, both good and bad on society. I have also witnessed many tools designed to unite peoples and cultures that have resulted in the marginalizing of true human interaction.
While traditional social networks were made up of people who might gather face-to-face, today's social networks are predominately online and may contain thousands of people you don't know. Examples of today's social networks include social networking sites such as: China Ren, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and others. With increasing mobile phone popularity and enhanced cell phone technology, Twitter has set the new 21st century meaning of what is considered a social network.
Coffee Clutch finds it's origins as coffee klatch or coffee klatsch from the German word Kaffeeklatch: Kaffee, coffee + Klatsch, gossip or as we have come to know it, a casual social gathering for coffee and conversation. While the word "Coffee Clutch" is not recognized by websters dictionary and academics, they will say it's just a slang or lazy way of saying Coffee Klatsch. I will debate it's been an american term since the 50's, actually stemming instead from the term clutch, meaning a womans bag or purse where she gathered personal items dear to her.
Either way, hollywood made a movie called
"Coffee Clutch" in 2005 so I would say that
makes it a legal word now!
These so-called new social networks, while good in concept, have deteriorated and amount in many cases to nothing more then another sales tool now used by spammers to blast us with stuff no one is interested in. Worse, while conventional mail and email was somewhat targeted, these messages are blindly sent to people not even in the targeted demographics of the products being sold.
While on that note, Social Networkers should check out OutTwit, it will filter out 70 to 80% of those marketing twits you get, rendering social networks worthless to the marketing people. I expect to see a lot of work done in this area in the future!
Interestingly enough, Women being a much more social gender, recognized the values of these get togethers and have managed to resist, entering the so called new social network model.. Instead opting for small gatherings like that pictured above of the Cashmere Mafia Group in NY who meet for coffee regularly. In fact this groups activity is what producers tried to duplicate on the hit show "Sex in the City" when the characters would get together and talk about their lives. This desire to get together with friends in this manner resonated so deeply with fans of the show, that the network even incorporated a coffee clutch into the show "Friends".
They even find the time as mothers to gather over coffee while the kids played. Strangely, during these economic times it's this very group that finds themselves pulled apart and thrown into the work force now. Luckily as fate and the universe would have it, MyCoffeeClutch.com has appeared just in time. They can now shift that morning coffee to a glass of wine and cheese while having some casual conversation with friends before bed at night, all from the comfort of their own home.
Well, all that brings us to this website. To me the most effective social network I ever belonged to, I found while I lived in California. It was while I worked as lead scientist at Micro Electonics and Silicon Materials divisions of Ametek. A group of us would gather just before the companies opened at a local breakfest diner in a coffee clutch.
Many of the most innovative and world changing projects actually came from those meetings. In fact, it was there that we decided to make the first silicon ingot to cut into waffers, hense the creation of Silicon Materials birth place of all integrated circuitry used today. I first proposed TCP/IP to Dr. Platz, Dr. Shaft, Dr. Pots and Dr. Cooper to help establish a way of having our researchers work more closely with the French nuclear research scientists on a joint project for the department of defense under DARPA. It in fact later became Darpa Net.
While sadly, I'm the only survivor of that original coffee clutch, I have tried to continue it. Over the years, I have added friends and colleagues from many walks of life and from many countries around the world. As communication technologies shrink the planet more and more, close associations where formed.
The problem is, all of us are on different types of computers, with many diverse operating systems. Limitations on current video conference software in most cases was limited to 1 on 1 type get-togethers and at best, allowing 6 people to meet was costly and excluded some not on Windows platforms. But as geeks, we somehow always made it work, I think because we always found it the best atmosphere for creative thought and learning.
Then came the global economic recession. Most of us found ourselves without the corporate resources we use to establish these video conferences with, like Web-Ex. Others like myself looked for something cheaper then even ooVoo but would allow our Linux friends around the world to join us.
So, I decided to sit down and write one, when I showed it to one of my coffee clutch friends Joseph Meredith, he quickly recognized the power of it's simplistic design which allows it to cut across all technology platforms. With little effort, we established links with up to 16 of our colleagues at the same time in a 4x4 window configuration. I personally prefer to keep my coffee clutches smaller and more intimate or focused with no more then 9 people in a 3x3 configuration. But that's the beauty of this method, it adapts to your individual styles.
Both Joe and I are looking for a way to innovate and prosper in these hard times. We decided to team up and repackage it for low cost general consumption for others facing the same problems as ourselves. Hence. MyCoffeeClutch.com was born. Strangely while doing so, I began to see what the so-called computer revolution had done to the social fabric of society, what that is saying is; "we can't see the forest for the trees" or should I say "we no longer can hear a good idea over the noise the crowd makes with todays social platforms" ;-)
When I looked at what twitter was doing to the rich creative process of human interaction, and calling it Social Networking, the project took on even more importance to me. It became a way of introducing all generations back to the fun and creative process of debate with friends on like matters.
Let's address the immediate benefits to you and conclude this story.
Immediate global communications Easy to learn Easy to share Reduces long distance phone bills Shorten the time to valuable relationships Reduce travel expenses for personal meetings Greening the Web Improve collaborations for groups and projects Use a combination of text, pictures, audio & video Compatible with mobile and PC web computers and most sofware systems truly a tool of social and global community
small to large scale simultaneous video conferencing
What you will need is a computer with a high speed internet connection. Along with that
you will need a webcam and microphone either built in or separately. If you already have one you can test it now:
For you to have a enjoyable experience, it will take some repeated use with friends and family to see you and follow your lead. This will help them to realize the practical power of what you have discovered and shared with them.
Remember to be patient with yourself and others as you embark on this fantastic journey
of discovery and relationship using these new set of tools. It will truly amaze you as to
what the results on a personal as well as public level will be. My Coffee Clutch is a means
for you to create your own extension of yourself and form new social circles while still
maintaining your comfort level as to how and what you share with others on your and their terms. All this while still contributing to making the world a better place one person at a time.
And as a Special incentive to help grow the use virally we have a special offer!
We want you and your friends to not just enjoy this service, we want you to prosper while using it. Immediately after joining for either a monthly fee of $5.00 or prepay $40.00 for a year which gives you 12 months for the price of 8,
we will give you incentives to tell others. For example, if you refer 10 people to join in 30 days, we will send you a $25.00 restaurant gift certificate which you or someone you gift it to can use for up to a year at a participating restaurant of your choice throughout the United States. This is a national program, so there
are alot of restaraunts included, based on a zipcode search. Please be aware of certain rules and restrictions that may apply.
To get you started, we are counting your enrollment as the first qaulifying number required of 10 needed. Just put the name of the coffee clutch room which is in good standing who referred you. If you fail to use it, we can't give you a bonus referring credit to jump start your participation in the referral program, resulting in you having to refer one additonal person before receieving the gift certificate. When you keep referring people to this service, you can continue to receive free $25.00 gift certificates to use as you wish
whether for yourself or gifts. What a great way to make your or someone else's day better!
If you want to refer people and create a quick return that keeps more money in your pocket, we have other program incentives for persons who have a large number of contacts and want to prosper further. Be sure to refer people to join
by giving them your exact name as it appears on your coffee clutch room so that we can keep accurate count of your referrals. Contact us for large scale groups or organizations that you may act as a referring agent for.
They even find the time as mothers to gather over coffee while the kids played. Strangely, during these economic times it's this very group that finds themselves pulled apart and thrown into the work force now. Luckily as fate and the universe would have it, MyCoffeeClutch.com has appeared just in time. They can now shift that morning coffee to a glass of wine and cheese while having some casual conversation with friends before bed at night, all from the comfort of their own home.
Many of the most innovative and world changing projects actually came from those meetings. In fact, it was there that we decided to make the first silicon ingot to cut into waffers, hense the creation of Silicon Materials birth place of all integrated circuitry used today. I first proposed TCP/IP to Dr. Platz, Dr. Shaft, Dr. Pots and Dr. Cooper to help establish a way of having our researchers work more closely with the French nuclear research scientists on a joint project for the department of defense under DARPA. It in fact later became Darpa Net.
Immediate global communications 
Easy to learn 
Easy to share 
Reduces long distance phone bills
Shorten the time to valuable relationships
Reduce travel expenses for personal meetings
Greening the Web
Improve collaborations for groups and projects
Use a combination of text, pictures, audio & video
Compatible with mobile and PC web computers and most sofware systems
truly a tool of social and global community
small to large scale simultaneous video conferencing