As you know, we get together on the third Wednesday of every month.  However, in March, the third Wednesday happens to also be St. Patty’s Day.  The consensus seemed to be that there’s no point having a tweetup on the biggest drinking day of the year, since we’ll all probably run into each other anyway.

So March’s Harrisburg Tweetup will be on Wednesday, 3/24 at 7pm.  The Abbey Bar is located on the second floor of Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg.  They’ve been great about accommodating us over the years (yes, it’s been years) and have free wifi with a smoke-free environment.  There’s also some beer there, I think.

If you’re going to tweet about the event, use the #hbgtweetup tag so we can get a feel for who’s coming.  See you there!

Any thoughts?  Ideas?  I can’t make #hbgugh due to my work schedule, but I could make a breakfast gathering or two.  And the idea of a bar crawl is just great with no further explanation required.

See you then!

Everyone with a blog or active social media account living in or around Central PA is welcome to attend!  Our wintertime Tweetups usually have a much smaller crowd than the warm-weather tweetups, so if you’ve wanted to come but have been overwhelmed at the prospect of meeting 30+ new faces at once, now is the perfect time to come out.  ABC is a smoke-free environment with free WiFi, good food, and great drafts, so now you’ve REALLY got no excuse not to show.

See you there!

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but our Twitter hashtag is #hbgtweetup.  Please use it any time you tweet about the event so we can get a decent idea of how many are coming.

See you there!

And sorry for the late posting.  But we do this every third Wednesday, so it’s not like you didn’t have any advance notice!

Financial Institutions:

Many, if not all, of the offers from financial institutions require you to be a member of that institution prior to the budget impasse being enacted.  If you join now, it is likely that you will not receive the offer.

• PSECU is offering zero-interest loans for qualifying state employees.  You will need to pass a credit check, and the deadline to apply seems to keep getting unofficially extended.
• Belco CCU is quietly offering a low- or no-interest loan for qualifying state employees.
• ACBS FCU is offering interest-free loans for qualifying state employees.  It appears you must live in Allegheny county and there is no credit check.
• Soverign Bank allegedly may allow affected customers with mortgages to defer payments until October.*
• Citi Financial & Citi Auto allegedly may allow affected customers to temporarily defer loan payments without penalties or interest.*
• The following financial institutions have been reported by OA as possibly offering assistance to state workers, either in the form of payment deferment or low- or no-interest loans:  ACBA FCU, Altoona VA Hospital FCU, Americhoice FCU, Central Keystone FCU, Citizens Bank, Citizens & Northern Bank, Corning CU, Cross Valley FCU, Erie FCU, Erie General Electric FCU, First Capital FCU, Franklin-Johnstown FCU, Fulton Financial Corp (Fulton Bank, Lafayette Ambassador Bank, FNB Bank NA, & Swineford National Bank), GNC Community FCU, Grove City Area FCU, JSTC Employees FCU, Members 1st FCU, NE PA Community FCU, New Cumberland FCU, Norristown Bell CU, NORSCO FCU, Oil Country FCU, Orrstown Bank, Patriot FCU, PNC Bank, Superior CU, Tobyhanna Army Depot FCU, Wyrope Williamsport FCU, and Your Choice FCU.  Terms and offers vary with each institution; contact the institution directly for more information.  Note that most loans require credit approval, and most offers are only open to existing members of that institution.

Social Assistance:

• The Central PA Food Bank has opened its doors to affected state employees.  Your local food bank may also be able to help.
• SNAP – certain affected employees may qualify for food stamps.  NOTE: There is a lot of back-and-forth on this one.  Call or visit your local office and ask.*
• AFSCME Local 2456 is offering use of the computer & phone at their Front Street (Harrisburg) office for individuals to complete welfare applications, contact creditors, or seek social assistance.  Contact your steward.

Utilities:

• Allegheny Power allegedly may allow affected customers to temporarily defer payments without penalties or interest.  This may depend on your location.*
• Windstream allegedly may allow affected customers to temporarily defer payments without penalties or interest.*

Retail / Service / Dining:

• Zembie’s Sports Bar is offering lunch & dinner to state employees; pay back when you get paid!
• Zips Dry Cleaners in Springettsbury Township (York County) is offering free dry cleaning for state employees & the unemployed.
• Auntie Anne’s Pretzels in the Capital City Mall is offering a free pretzel to state employees.

* – Entries marked with an asterisk are based on anecdotal claims and have not been verified.

This information is collected through word-of-mouth.  Do not assume that these programs automatically apply to you; contact the bank, business, or organization directly and ensure that you are covered before taking action. Also, if you’re a state employee who isn’t feeling the pinch right this second, please consider volunteering.  If you can’t volunteer at one of the charities helping us out, pick any charity that you feel is reputable and worthwhile.  They would all be grateful for just a little bit of your time.

This month we’re bumping things back one day.  Instead of meeting on the third Wednesday like we normally do, we’re going to be having our July Tweetup on Thursday, July 16th.  We’ll still be meeting at 7pm, and we’ll still be getting together on the deck, and I’ll still be raving over how incredibly awesome the Dom Blonde is.  ABC has a private function that will consume the entire deck on Wednesday, and Thursday is supposed to be sunnier, so I figured we’ll be best served by stepping back one day.  Come on out, soak up some sun & suds, and meet your fellow Tweeps & bloggers.

People always ask what happens at these things.  Put simply, we drink and BS.   They’re a chance to get together and hang out with the faces behind the domain names or Twitter accounts.  Hot topics are always local politics, regional tech advocacy, local entertainment and events, and why Sara stood us up this month (I kid, Sara!).  But more than anything, it’s a bulletproof excuse to soak up some fine craft beer.

Because our group swells to several dozen people during the summer months, we’re pretty easy to spot.  We do our best to keep an eye out for new faces, but if you show up and don’t know anyone, just say hi — we’re a very friendly, casual group.  Just follow the signs or ask a bartender where the Tweetup is.

See you there!

If your Metro Bank account is not straightened out as of right this instant, please contact the PA Department of Banking immediately using this link. As always, remember to remain calm and professional.  We’re all frustrated and angry (and rightfully so), but remember that the Dept of Banking is here to help you.  They have the power to set things right, and if that can’t be done, they have the power to punish Metro Bank.

UPDATE: As of 6/19/09, Metro Bank’s CEO is stating that the “glitches” have been fixed and everything is back to normal.  Interestingly, he’s also stating that affected customers are being contacted by phone or email to let them know what happened.  This is a dramatic change from earlier in the week, when they attempted to sweep their issues under the rug with silence.  It’s pretty obvious that Metro Bank’s change in attitude is a direct result of the avalanche of negative PR that’s kept them buried all week.  While it’s good to see them finally starting to take responsibility for their poor planning and poor execution, it’s disturbing that they regarded “give customers the silent treatment” as their best option.

UPDATE #2: As of 7/5/09, commenters are still reporting problems with Metro Bank.  By now, all problems should have been resolved (actually, they should have been resolved by June 13th, but that obviously didn’t happen).  If you are still having trouble, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Banking immediately.  And while you’re at it, consider switching to a bank that knows how to treat its customers.