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  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/17/2011 0 Comments

    SXSWi: Chris Brogan is the Champ

    PeopleBroswr crowns Chris Brogan champion of champions this year for SXSW, a conference he didn't even attend.  

    "Chris has the highest number of followers who are interested in SXSW," Jodee Rich wrote on the O'Reilly Radar. "His followers are having conversations about SXSW and often tweet SXSW mentions and news. Chris is an influencer for SXSW because he has a high number of engaged connections who are interested in this topic. He is a brand champion for SXSW because of his potential influence in the SXSW interest-based community."

    SXSW influential individuals year after year

    PeopleBroswr conducted a human sentiment analysis for further insights into upcoming One+ columnist Brogan's influence. 

    "Chris' tweets mainly focus on awareness and capturing attention, reviewing emerging tech and startups, and big picture ideas," Rich wrote. "Chris is a positive tweeter—even his negative comments have a nice tone."

    PeopleBroswr also created brand champion scorecards. 

    Please read the full story on the O'Reilly Radar for more charts and discussion of other SXSW 2011 influencers. 




  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/15/2011 0 Comments

    SXSWi: Observations

    Here are a few final observations (some random, some from notes) about SXSW Interactive 2011. No theme, just thoughts.

    • TOMS shoes everywhere. Is that because founder Blake Myscoskie was speaking (he was excellent, by the way) or because this is Austin, Texas? I'm leaning more toward because it's Austin.
    • The trade show is not dead. At least not in this industry. And there's a block party on the trade show floor where a lot exhibitors offer free food and adult beverages. 
    • I'm going to say it again, if you don't like standing in lines, don't attend SXSW. 
    • That said, lines are the best networking opportunities available at SXSW.
    • I thought all the pedicab operators would have enormous thighs. No, they're just normal thighs. 
    • Don't worry about not getting into a session because it has reached capacity. Just go to another one close by. I bet you'll learn something you didn't know you wanted to learn or discover a great speaker.
    • Core conversations are more fun and informative than panels. 
    • Lanyrd.com, look it up. Use it. 
    • Electrical outlets may just be more popular than free beer. Oh, what am I saying? Let the phone die, free beer!
    • I really need to buy a portable phone charger.
    • Speaking of freebies--it's possible to attend and not pay for any food or drinks while here. Just one more perk to throw on the ROI pile for your boss.
    • I feel inadequate, because I don't have a start-up. 
    • Content strategy is a hot topic. It's also a life cycle. It's also not a business asset. 
    • I met more Australians here than native Texans. 
    • Bloggers are the return of the repressed.
    • Anthony Jeselnik is a funny comedian. 
    • "You should never do a good job at a job you don't want to do." -- Malcolm Gladwell (not here; quoted during a session)
    • You should hired based on a mindset and not a skill set.
    • How to be a Badass Online was one of the best 15-minute sessions. One attendee said it alone was worth the US$750 registration fee.
    • "The role of events is to sometimes bestow status on a person or an idea." -- Tim O'Reilly
    • Love will go a long way to ensuring a conference is successful. 



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/15/2011 0 Comments

    SXSWi: South By Bingo

    The Dallas Observer created some bingo cards for SXSW. Below is the one specifically for Interactive, though just by looking at it, you could apply the card to almost any conference. 




  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/15/2011 0 Comments

    SXSWi: Humans are Back in Style

    It's the last day of SXSW Interactive, and over the last few days the most talked about subjects have been location and gaming and how those two intersect. But as actress and producer Felicia Day said during her keynote, social media is not a magic wand. No matter how much technology you use or gaming aspects you incorporate into your operation or business models, if you don't make an emotional connection with users, you're a lame horse out the gate. 

    It comes down to gut reactions, which is really an emotional action. Day said she went with her gut reactions when choosing co-workers on her film; Paul Reubens said he went with his gut when he decided to stick with the Pee Wee Herman character over 15 other characters he had worked on in his career. They both just knew that the right thing to do wasn't based in data or financial reports; it was based on feeling.

    And that's what this year's Interactive has really been about--getting back to the humanization of business. 

    It was brought up in one session that people are always connected by a shared object. For example, Flickr's shared object is photos. Facebook's shared object is status, and Foursquare's shared object is places. For SXSWi, the shared object is humans. I don't think it's never been about humans. This year, though, it's about them more than ever. It's a great reassurance that humanity will never go out of style no matter what types of technology emerge. 




  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/14/2011 0 Comments

    SXSWi: I am a Patient Boy

    One thing you should know about SXSWi is that there's a lot of waiting around. People wait to get into sessions, to see celebrity appearances, and of course, for coffee. I know I've mentioned this before, but it still amazes me that people have such patience. Maybe I'm amazed because I rarely display such patience.

    What's in store for the future in publishing and content strategy is a waiting game, too. That's not to say people don't make plans, but over and over I've been in core conversations where more than once attendees have said phrases such as, "We don't know exactly what's going to happen. We're just going to keep doing what we do and wait it out." 

    Core conversations here are more about asking questions than definitive answers. Concerning content strategy, though, the important thing is value, that strategy should show how valuable an organization's business assets are. 

    Christopher "moot" Poole, founder of 4chan.org, talked about content yesterday. He said that the primary reason 4chan is so popular is because it values content over creator, that people are judged by what they create rather than who they are. 

    That philosophy falls in line with another point made at a session, in that there needs to be a less hierarchic system in content strategy. There, in fact, need to be communities and teams working together across the company. That way, it's not one person shouldering the blame or praise; it's a group effort. 

    Now, I'm off to get in another line for another session.




  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/12/2011 0 Comments

    SXSWi: Hallway Inspiration

    I overheard a conversation where one person said that SXSW now makes more money on the Interactive portion than the Music event. That doesn't surprise me. I mean, it's right there in the name--Interactive. People are excited about meeting up with old friends, making new business deals or waiting in 30-minute lines for ice cream cookies. And waiting in the line means you meet more people. It's inspiring to be around such excitement. 

    In the "Conference Startups" session, attendees stressed over and over that they want to be inspired by experts. Nowadays, the definition of an expert is blurring, so people don't necessarily want to be talked at anymore. They want to engage. Panel discussions are on their death beds, and core conversations are the preferred path to success for conferences. 

    Another point attendees talked about at the session was the value of hallway meetings. In fact, most attendees find them more valuable than sessions themselves. And that's pretty evident here at SXSWi. With 30-minutes between sessions, people are given time to meet up and talk. 

    Or if they're hungry, find one of the several food trucks offering free food. And with that, I'm off to lunch. 

    NOTE: Click here to read our case study about the SXSW music festival.




  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/11/2011 0 Comments

    SXSWi: Location (3x)

    It's South by Southwest (SXSW) time again, and I'm here in Austin, Texas, attending the interactive portion of the conference.

    I'll be blogging and tweeting and whatever other new technologies pop up here during the event. And it looks to be an even bigger year for location-based apps (or at least those are the companies buying the most ads in the conference guide). 

    My first session today is "Conference Startups: Grassroots Innovation Rocking the Event World." After that, I have several sessions from which to choose, all of them worthy of attending. Final decisions, though, may come down to location(!).  

    You see, SXSW Interactive is spread out among 10 locations (hotels, conference centers and the convention center) this year. Each location houses a different knowledge track, so if you're really interested in say, The Future of Journalism, you could stay at the Sheraton Austin all day and hang out with like-minded people.

    Or you could just hop on a free shuttle and attend a variety of sessions, which I will be doing. A lot. 

    If there's anything specific you'd like me to report on for you, please let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to fulfill your request.    




  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/08/2011 0 Comments

    South by South Best

    I will be attending SXSW Interactive this year, starting on Thursday. Having attended last year, I'm a little more prepared for what to expect. Still, one can always be more prepared. 

    In this lighthearted video, you too can learn "How to be South by South Best." (My favorite part of the video is when the host says, "Stop. Having business cards isn't cool. Know what's cool? Digitally bump-blasting your contact info to each other's devices.")

    And if you're attending SXSW Interactive, please let me know. Maybe we can meet up.