I'm on Day 3 here at SXSW while most of the folks here got here on Friday. There is definitely the growing sense of weariness as the Interactive Crowd is wrapping up and getting ready to move on for yet another year.
For three days now I knew this 'Blogger Lounge' was here but I haven't had the time to swing by and quite frankly I was a little bit scared. Now that I am in here I am full on scared!!! There are about 8 round tables set up with 8 seats per table and laptops are up and people are typing away furiously. If you have been reading me for awhile you might recall my first real Starbucks experience, well, this one tops it. At least for my trip to Starbucks I had directions and guidance, here I feel like a complete alien. Let's face it, I am a quasi blogger at best. I need lessons, I need help!!! I am afraid to even open my mouth as something completely stupid will come tumbling out...
So here I sit, with another 90 minutes before my next session. Loving that I can recharge though. Speaking of recharging, I don't think I mentioned the AT&T recharging stations here. They have this mini-locker set up where you open a locker with a key, put in your iPhone, lock her up and boom your iPhone is charging. I haven't needed it but it is super cool. I was sitting and watching though and this was the general behavior --- put phone in, stand off to the side, wait 3 minutes (tops), open locker to check phone, respond to email/texts, repeat for 30 -45 or until the phone is charged enough to go 2 more hours...
Sat in two good sessions this morning, the first about the changing dynamic of how sports is distributed. One of the panelists is the CEO of the Major League Gaming and another was the Interactive guy from Dr. Pepper who advertises with them. Pretty interesting to hear what is described as sports and how monetization of online video continues to evolve. The second panel was on Location Based Advertising and it had light bulbs going off for me the whole time. It was mostly a pitch from the speaker but it clearly has relevance. More later I'm sure as I took a ton of notes. Next up is a panel on the changing dynamic of the magazine space which is big for me and two of our clients in the publishing world and then I wrap up with an panel on Facebook.
All in all I have not had a single bad experience at SXSW and I really see where Definition 6 will have relevance here in 2011.
Showing posts with label SXSW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SXSW. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
SXSW Report - Observations from a 'newbie'
* I knew I couldn't party like a rockstar but I had hopes that I could party like an 'internet' star. Sorry to say but nope! Two nights in and I have been in bed by 2:00am both nights. Maybe I am starting too early or maybe I am too old, either way, when I see 'tweets' from friends letting me know that they are still going at 5:00am and my alarm just went off to go for a run...well, enough said.
* The Apple MacBook Pro is by FAR the #1 choice for computing in this crowd; yes, I brought mine, and my DELL as well (hey, I'm in Austin) but the PC has stayed back in the room for work purposes.
* Gary Vaynerchuck is just as good in front of 3,000 people as he was last month with 120 people. If you never heard of Gary, you can check out his site here - http://garyvaynerchuk.com/. He is SXSW legend at this point and regardless of anything else he is brutally honest and I like that. He also gives me hope that what I and the people I work with are doing the right things by our clients, our colleagues and our stakeholders. Still trying to get some one on one time with him but I realize that will have to happen back in New York.
* PEPSI sucks --- ok, maybe you don't think so but I'm a Diet Coke guy and I cn't get it here!!! I give PEPSI credit for stepping up in the Interactive Space and getting their brand out, I just wish it were my friends at Coca-Cola.
* I really get this 'stuff'! I'll never be a techie or be able to grind away in geel speak (despite what some of my less tech savvy friends believe) but from a philosophical and energy level I am right there. I can't remember how many years it has been since I knew that my skills and talents were so meant for the place that I am at.
* Everyone is a 'social media expert' and you know what? That's cool with me. There are so many places to gravitate towards there will never be one authoritative voice on 'what's next'. As long as you keep an open mind and continue to learn; not allow yourself to get 'boxed' into one technology or one platform then I think there is room for everyone. The tent is literally open my friends.
Wrapping up here --- panel on the future of Sports Journalism --- go figure, I have an interest there :)
* The Apple MacBook Pro is by FAR the #1 choice for computing in this crowd; yes, I brought mine, and my DELL as well (hey, I'm in Austin) but the PC has stayed back in the room for work purposes.
* Gary Vaynerchuck is just as good in front of 3,000 people as he was last month with 120 people. If you never heard of Gary, you can check out his site here - http://garyvaynerchuk.com/. He is SXSW legend at this point and regardless of anything else he is brutally honest and I like that. He also gives me hope that what I and the people I work with are doing the right things by our clients, our colleagues and our stakeholders. Still trying to get some one on one time with him but I realize that will have to happen back in New York.
* PEPSI sucks --- ok, maybe you don't think so but I'm a Diet Coke guy and I cn't get it here!!! I give PEPSI credit for stepping up in the Interactive Space and getting their brand out, I just wish it were my friends at Coca-Cola.
* I really get this 'stuff'! I'll never be a techie or be able to grind away in geel speak (despite what some of my less tech savvy friends believe) but from a philosophical and energy level I am right there. I can't remember how many years it has been since I knew that my skills and talents were so meant for the place that I am at.
* Everyone is a 'social media expert' and you know what? That's cool with me. There are so many places to gravitate towards there will never be one authoritative voice on 'what's next'. As long as you keep an open mind and continue to learn; not allow yourself to get 'boxed' into one technology or one platform then I think there is room for everyone. The tent is literally open my friends.
Wrapping up here --- panel on the future of Sports Journalism --- go figure, I have an interest there :)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Big Brother is here and I am embracing him
How many of you out there when you first saw FACEBOOK said, "that's silly, why would kids do that"? Be honest. When FACEBOOK started it was for kids on college campuses only and that was my first reaction. Why communicate on the computer when you can just walk across the proverbial Quad? Well, like 350 million + people I am thrilled that FB 'opened' up to allow anyone in. It has allowed me to connect, reconnect and express myself in ways that were impossible just 3-4 years ago.
It seems like as each new technology is released in the Social Media spectrum there is an initial resistance and then a fairly quick acceptance and adoption. Clearly this is what happened to TWITTER. Basically a concept that was developed at SXSW (South By SouthWest Music Festival in Austin, TX) as a way to let people know what concerts and clubs were hot up and down 6th Street, is now being used as a bona fide business and marketing application. It truly can be THE great equalizer for small retailers when trying to battle the 'big guys'. If you are in business and aren't finding relevant applications for a TWITTER feed then you just aren't trying. Personal case study - lots of big companies are now using employees and technology to track twitter feeds when their name comes up. Good, bad or indifferent a smart company can react to positive or negative feedback in a timely way. In sales there is an old axiom that says when you make a mistake and take ownership for it, fix it and make it better you have actually done more good than had there never been a problem in the first place. Three weeks ago I was sitting on a MISERABLE flight from LaGuardia to Atlanta. The weather was getting dicey, the flight was packed and I was already ornery. I noticed the Flight Attendants basically had the same sentiment as I. I even heard them cursing under their breath about dumb passengers and them wishing the flight would get cancelled. I thought, let's see if DELTA is paying attention, so I tweeted that I was receiving horrible customer service on DELTA flight # XYZ. I thought, someone is monitoring this and will at least Direct Message me an apology. Nothing. I was PISSED. I am an Platinum member at Delta. I have my own # to call when I want something. I am freaking George Clooney (if only at 30,000 feet) but I got nothing! I know had it been JetBlue or Airtran or SouthWest someone would have been in touch with me. You wonder why the big airlines are getting their asses kicked?
The 'newest kid on this block' is GEO TAGGING. Geo tagging is using smart phone technologies like GPS and phone apps to allow you to tell anyone in your network where you are at any given time. Like the technologies above my first initial thought was "why the F would I want everyone know where I was all the time" and seriously I still feel that way, but what I know now is that sometimes it is to MY advantage for folks to know where I am and even more so, it is amazing what a savvy marketer/promoter can do with that information. So I started using FOUR SQUARE ( as my geo tagging site. I have not been 'great' at doing it very often but I have tried and there are certainly times I don't want everyone to know where I am but as I do it more often I see the possibilities. Two weeks ago I was at a Social Media event so I thought, what a better place than here to 'TAG' myself, so I did. Within 3 minutes I had two people, who had done the same thing, find me and 'friend' me and then we had a REAL conversation, face to face about business (WOW!) and then I got a text from the BAR asking me if I wanted a complimentary cocktail...you bet your ASS I did!! There in lies the power. Its as simple as the Jergens (I think that was it) shampoo commercial from the 80's, "if you tell two people, and they tell two people...". I could have gone on my FB page to my 655 friends and said, "come down to ABC Bar in the next 30 minutes and tag that you are here your first drink is on the house" how quickly would that have spread? The applications are limitless and I am really excited to bring these ideas to three of our clients in the next couple of weeks.
Like all the other early adopters I am taking some heat when I post where I am and for the most part I laugh about it, knowing that in 6 months these same people will probably me right there with me :-)
It seems like as each new technology is released in the Social Media spectrum there is an initial resistance and then a fairly quick acceptance and adoption. Clearly this is what happened to TWITTER. Basically a concept that was developed at SXSW (South By SouthWest Music Festival in Austin, TX) as a way to let people know what concerts and clubs were hot up and down 6th Street, is now being used as a bona fide business and marketing application. It truly can be THE great equalizer for small retailers when trying to battle the 'big guys'. If you are in business and aren't finding relevant applications for a TWITTER feed then you just aren't trying. Personal case study - lots of big companies are now using employees and technology to track twitter feeds when their name comes up. Good, bad or indifferent a smart company can react to positive or negative feedback in a timely way. In sales there is an old axiom that says when you make a mistake and take ownership for it, fix it and make it better you have actually done more good than had there never been a problem in the first place. Three weeks ago I was sitting on a MISERABLE flight from LaGuardia to Atlanta. The weather was getting dicey, the flight was packed and I was already ornery. I noticed the Flight Attendants basically had the same sentiment as I. I even heard them cursing under their breath about dumb passengers and them wishing the flight would get cancelled. I thought, let's see if DELTA is paying attention, so I tweeted that I was receiving horrible customer service on DELTA flight # XYZ. I thought, someone is monitoring this and will at least Direct Message me an apology. Nothing. I was PISSED. I am an Platinum member at Delta. I have my own # to call when I want something. I am freaking George Clooney (if only at 30,000 feet) but I got nothing! I know had it been JetBlue or Airtran or SouthWest someone would have been in touch with me. You wonder why the big airlines are getting their asses kicked?
The 'newest kid on this block' is GEO TAGGING. Geo tagging is using smart phone technologies like GPS and phone apps to allow you to tell anyone in your network where you are at any given time. Like the technologies above my first initial thought was "why the F would I want everyone know where I was all the time" and seriously I still feel that way, but what I know now is that sometimes it is to MY advantage for folks to know where I am and even more so, it is amazing what a savvy marketer/promoter can do with that information. So I started using FOUR SQUARE ( as my geo tagging site. I have not been 'great' at doing it very often but I have tried and there are certainly times I don't want everyone to know where I am but as I do it more often I see the possibilities. Two weeks ago I was at a Social Media event so I thought, what a better place than here to 'TAG' myself, so I did. Within 3 minutes I had two people, who had done the same thing, find me and 'friend' me and then we had a REAL conversation, face to face about business (WOW!) and then I got a text from the BAR asking me if I wanted a complimentary cocktail...you bet your ASS I did!! There in lies the power. Its as simple as the Jergens (I think that was it) shampoo commercial from the 80's, "if you tell two people, and they tell two people...". I could have gone on my FB page to my 655 friends and said, "come down to ABC Bar in the next 30 minutes and tag that you are here your first drink is on the house" how quickly would that have spread? The applications are limitless and I am really excited to bring these ideas to three of our clients in the next couple of weeks.
Like all the other early adopters I am taking some heat when I post where I am and for the most part I laugh about it, knowing that in 6 months these same people will probably me right there with me :-)
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