Social Honeycomb

Just Say No?

It’s all about conversation these days, but that’s a two-way street.  And I know it can be tough.

As PR people, we strive to do our homework; we investigate what you’ve been writing, we craft a pitch we think will catch your attention and have relevance to your readers. We understand that sometimes you get too many emails to really read each one, we know that there are days when you’re super busy.  But if and when you do get a chance to check out our emails, and you see something that just doesn’t fit with what you’re doing, what stops you from just saying no?  In the long run, it’ll help us help you, and it’ll save your inbox from extra notes that you’d rather not get.

Is this unreasonable?  Is it a nice idea but just too far-fetched?  What would make it easier for media folks to just say no when the pitch doesn’t quite work?

South By Social Honeycomb SXSW Recap

I’ve always heard that things are supposed to be big in Texas. And you know what? It’s true.  SXSWi was huge.  My first experience at SXSW Interactive was full of big conference rooms, big conversations, big cameras, big parties, big meals and big personalities.

Most of people I talked to weren’t able to catch a ton of sessions (poo-poo on you), but I’m glad I was able to hit six interesting panels and conversations while I was there, which I’ll post about over the next few days.  These sessions spanned topics from augmented realities on mobile, connecting with and empowering your audiences online, getting girls interested in video games and technology, and the ethics of blogging your sex life.  A little something for everyone.

Outside of the sessions, I spent a lot of time doing the tweet-n-greet, let’s-share-a-power-strip thing in the TechSet Blogger Lounge, with peoples like Brian Solis, Steph Agresta, Aaron Brazell, Corvida Raven, Aaron Strout, Brett Petersel, Steve Hall, Peter Kim, Geoff Livingston, Allen Stern, Jason Falls, Giannii, Laura Fitton, Justin Levy, Steve Woodruff, Uncle Brogan, Melissa Pierce, CC Chapman, Loren Feldman and some guy with a cane.

I also had the pleasure of dining on some delicious Texas BBQ at Iron Works with Jane Quigley, David Armano, Kaitlyn Wilkins, Doug Meacham, Paul McEnany…  and about two tons of beef.  Greg and I also managed to have a date night, during which I had my very first steak and grits at a restaurant.  Thanks to Lambert’s in Austin for making it memorable and delicious.

Oh, and then there were the parties.  (P.S. I know anyone who’s at Music right now is rolling their eyes…)  As photos will attest, I made appearances at the Brown Bar tweetup (honoring Mr. Verdino, of course), TechSet, Diggnation, All Hats No Cattle, Mashable, and UNLISTED.

What a full, fantastic week.  I’ll be writing more about my takeaways from the sessions I attended, and I hope to keep the great conversations going that we started down in Austin.

After all, that’s what this stuff is all about, right?

Amanda, Buzzing Bees, Events, Social Media, Tech | Comments (2)

Fashion for Real People

There are times when I’m reading through ELLE or Glamour, and I’m looking at these amazing editorial photo shoots and incredible clothes, shoes and accessories, and I think to myself, “No one looks like this! No one in real life can pull this off!”

Then I hop from the glossy to the screen.

While I’m not exactly giving up fashion magazines (Hell no–a girl can dream!), I get a healthy dose of fabulous from LOOKBOOK.nu each day.  The site celebrates real people and their style, and showcases homegrown photo shoots from fashionistas around the world.  It’s all about sharing your style inspiration with a hip and happenin’ web-based community.  There’s something very poetic about it.

If you think you’ve got the hotness, apply to join the community–and subscribe to get the goodness.

Let’s Say Howdy at SXSW

I can’t believe March is already here.  This means that SXSW Interactive is finally right around the corner! w00t.

Are you going? I’m hoping I can meet a lot of new friends and influencers while I’m there, and connect with others I haven’t seen in a while.  I’ve never been to SXSW before, so I’m super excited to see some great sessions and hang with the coolest geeks around, including, of course, the Verdino party machine.

So if you’re going to be there, let’s say hello, tweet, high-five, clink drinks, chat about our work, take some “tiger” pics, practice our Texas accents, whatever.

Thanks again to Mashable for the Interactive pass. Can’t wait to see everyone there!