Living in the West Coast of Europe has its perks: the sun, the food and most of all, the people. Growing as a child in the North of Portugal, studying Business Management in the Center and now working in Lisbon was Armando’s crash course in cultural ethnography. As diverse as the people he met, is his interest in several disciplines: from marketing to Actionscript or Buddhist teachings.

Since 2006 he’s been writing the blog asourceofinspiration.com, one of the most influential European blogs on marketing and advertising, is a guest author at osocio.org, the worldwide reference on social marketing and co-hosts a Portuguese videocast about technology and communication.

He loves when people get together because, not despite of technology. If you don’t find him on Twitter, then it’s probably because he’s grabbing a cold Super Bock beer and some fine appetizers by the seaside, just a few minutes walk from FullSix Portugal’s office.

A bit of auto-promo. Back in March, Tyler and I were in Austin for SxSW, since PleaseFixtheiPhone was up for a SxSW Web Award. And we met with Jim Hopkinson from Wired magazine for an interview about the site and its impact on the development of the next generation iPhones. With the launch of the 3.0 Software Update announced this week, it was the perfect occasion to release the interview and have a look and which Top Wishes were taken care of by Apple. Article available on Jim’s blog, and podcast on iTunes! Thanks Jim!

One thing that always strikes me when I go to London is the importance of the after-work team gatherings at the local pub near the office. And British FullSIXers were no exception. For years, the Freemasons Arms pub in Covent Garden hosted their decadent Friday night parties.

And during one of those boozy nights, two former Fullsix employees, Simon Blezard & Thomas Vansteen came up with the idea to create a virtual bar network, or more specifically to launch the world’s first global social networking site dedicated purely to the drinks and hospitality sectors: barexchange.com

More and more employers turn to social networking sites to help them with their recruitment needs (we, at FullSIX NY found our PR agency via LinkedIn and hire our designers and developers on Facebook!). So are job hunters.

BarExchange is also a great tool for spirit/drinks brands to target barmen and barmaids and share with them professional content and offers. Almost 800 profiles were created in the two weeks following the launch, and the site has already signed an impressive number of pub, bar and restaurant chains as partners.

We wish you guys all the best luck!

More info about BarExchange:
Bar Exchange is a social networking forum for the bar & hospitality industry. A place to find work, recruit staff and share knowledge. Find a bar job in a pub, club, bar, restaurant, hotel or event local to you. Follow the Bar Exchange training videos; learn basic bartending skills or discover how to make a new cocktail with the latest drinks brands. Match your skills with employer vacancies who will come to you with their latest bar jobs. Bar Owners – recruit trained and skilled bar staff. Brands – connect with bar staff who will promote your brand. Community – meet with fellow bar staff in your area, attend events and parties, join in with competitions and groups.

A few data to sprinkle nicely in your oh so French Powerpoint slides! From today’s eMarketer’s post.

In 2009, there is lively discussion about how brands can use digital channels to deepen engagement and loyalty, as well as drive sales, whether on the Web or in retail stores,” says Karin von Abrams, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, France Online: Where Brand Matters. “Many international brands, including some headquartered in France, have developed more comprehensive brand strategies for the French market than for their UK customers, for example. (…) The strategies French brands are employing to engage consumers online are relevant, to varying degrees, throughout the world,” says Ms. von Abrams. “The focus on brand values and brand priorities among French marketers has led to concrete results that other countries can learn from.

…to promote their new television format, closer to a cinema ratio: 21:9. Screenshots and words don’t pay justice to that beauty. Enough said, go play!

Tip hat: Diogo Guimarães Montes