Social Honeycomb

Let’s Say No To Cankles Together

This July, with Gold’s Gym, together we can say no to cankles.  Like these.

Via Sarah Jio at Glamour’s Vitamin G.

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)

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!

SM4SC & U

This week, my dear friend Rebecca Corliss told me a bit about Social Media for Social Change (SM4SC), and what the new organization is up to. I think it’s great.

SM4SC is an online grassroots movement started by Boston’s Gradon Tripp to rally social media participants and influencers in support of a common cause. We’re all using new media and marketing tools to talk about brands, products, services, business… The focus here is on social change and helping people.

Gradon and the group tell a pretty inspiring story: “SM4SC is powered by the influence that individual people have within their own online communities to work together and make something happen. We’re utilizing the communal nature of the Internet, which can cause a YouTube video or blog post to reach millions, to raise money for crucially important charities and help fix real-world problems.” Pretty refreshing stuff, don’t you think?

The group is hosting its first fundraiser event on October 10 to benefit Jane Doe, Inc. It looks like there are a few tickets left, so move fast if you want to attend.

How will you help?

Happy Birthday, Social Honeycomb!

My little blog turns 1 today.  I’m a proud blogmama today, on my first social media birthday.  Happy Birthday, Social Honeycomb!

Amanda’s Long Weekend

August 30, 2008

Amanda moves from her second-floor one-bedroom apartment down the street to a first-floor two-bedroom apartment with a new roommate. Her family assists her with the move, which has been described as “pretty brutal.”

August 31, 2008

Amanda unpacks roughly 12 large boxes full of the following: clothes she hasn’t worn in more than a year, kitchen utensils she has never used, candles she refuses to light, shoes she hates wearing, and speakers for her TV that has no audio capabilities on its own. She waits for the Comcast guy, who initially shows up at the wrong apartment, yet makes up for it by getting the entire installation done in roughly 6 minutes once he actually arrives. Amanda wanders down Beacon St., trying to remember where the Star Market is, and when she finds it, she purchases Nutri-Grain bars and bananas, among other foods. She stays up late, simultaneously talking on the phone and watching wedding shows on WE.

September 1, 2008

Amanda takes a train home and attends Jessica’s wake. She thinks this is one of the saddest days she’s ever experienced. She goes to sleep early.

September 2, 2008

Amanda takes a long walk with her mom in the morning. She then attends Jessica’s funeral at St. Mary’s in Grafton, where she used to be a member of the parish back in the days when she grew up Catholic. Amanda still can’t believe that Jess is gone. She goes to lunch with a group of friends she’s known forever, and listens to stories that prove everyone’s all grown up. Amanda later gets a ride back to Boston with her father. She has trouble sleeping at night.

Your Engagement Needs a Goal

Back in January, I wrote a post discussing the various meanings of the word “engagement” on the heels of my two good friends, Jenna and Thomas, making the choice to get hitched. It’s time for the follow-up post, because I’m sitting here near Westons Mills, NY, getting ready to attend their wedding this afternoon.

So, what’s important to note here is that engagement, a word we hear so often, is not an end in itself. (Duh.) Engagement for engagement’s sake is useless unless there’s a goal and you move toward it. Here, this engagement involved my friends both moving toward the goal of being husband and wife, and here they are today ready to exchange vows.

In many cases when we hear about being engaged online, the love story comes from having a goal in mind and not mindlessly participating just to say you were there. Maybe your goal is to obtain information. Maybe it’s to contribute something meaningful. Maybe it’s to help someone and in the process make some money. Maybe it’s to build strong brand awareness. It could be anything, I guess. The times when people and organizations get involved and engaged online that work come when they’re not just taking up space or “doing this social media thing” because it’s shiny, but because it’s a meaningful way to reach a goal.

Now, a two-part call to action:

1) Have you seen instances where people or companies (most likely it’s companies) are trying new media tools, saying they’re engaged but really not actively working toward anything? Do you feel that your “engagement” on the Web is goal-oriented?

2) Do you have a message for Jenna and Thomas? Leave a comment for them and I’ll make sure they see your congratulations and warm wishes. [I'm sure I'll have pictures up in a few days!]

My Last 24 Hours Ruled

My life is pretty great overall, but the past 24 hours have been quite stellar.  Let’s discuss:

1. SummerMash Boston: Boston had been looking forward to this hot party for months, and last night it was finally here.  Pete and the gang showed us a good time at the Roxy on Tremont St., with drinks, food, music, photos, networking, hugs, high-fives and prizes keeping the night going strong.  Oh, did I mention prizes?  Yeah.  That.  Last night I put one SHIFT business card into the running for a pass to SXSW–and I won!  It was funny, because I had been saying that I never win things, and then Karen Hartline called my name.  Totally wild.  I’m thrilled.  Thank you to Mashable for a great night out and for handing out such a sweet prize.
2. Move-in Date: September 1 is the absolute worst day in Boston every year.  Thousands of students are moving back, young adults who’ve graduated but still live here are switching places, roommates are shuffling around… it’s just awful.  And that’s my move-in date.  But wait–my awesome realtor told me that the people in my new place are moving out 6 days early, so I don’t have to move on the darkest day in Beantown.  FTW!
3. Positive Feedback: Today I’ve just been feeling like my work has been appreciated, that people are saying thank you, and that my efforts in various endeavors haven’t gone unnoticed.  It’s a good feeling.  And please, let’s take it one step further, outside of my little life–tell someone in your life that you appreciate what they do for you, or say thank you where you otherwise wouldn’t.  It means a lot to hear it, sometimes more than you may expect.
4. SYTYCD: The finale performance show is tonight, it’s awesome, and I love it.

Photo by Gradon Tripp

TotSpot and InternshipRatings.com at Web Inno 18

I was gabbing a lot at Web Inno last night, so I didn’t have too much time to take video. Luckily, I did manage to capture Michael from TotSpot and the Lauren/Stephanie dynamic duo of InternshipRatings.com with the Flip.

TotSpot is a scrapbook-like social site that allows parents to safely share all things “my cute kids” with friends and family. I obviously only got a really brief overview, but the site seems cute and certainly of interest to new and eternally excited parents. Thinking back to some of the choice photos from my early teen years, I’m thinking my parents would totally use this site to blackmail me… But oh, how I would get them back. Check the footage:

InternshipRatings.com wasn’t presenting at the event, but I’ve really enjoyed seeing Lauren Grunstein and Stephanie Gurtman, two Boston University students, take an idea and run with it over the past year. I met these two at last year’s PodCamp Boston 2 and since then they’ve launched their site and are seeing a fantastic level of participation from students across the country. The premise is that students go on this site and rate/tell all about their internship experiences at various companies across various industries. The site also serves as an advice hub for students curious about internships and career paths. Take a look:

This post can also be found on SHIFT’s blog http://snackablepr.com. (And yes, it’s important to know what people’s favorite snacks are.)

How I Felt About Web Inno 18

This is so video diary-esque, but I wanted to say loud and proud that I had a fantastic time at Web Inno 18 and definitely plan to attend more of these events. As I say in the video (which is long-winded and in which I think I say “psyched” about 17.4 times), I just love the energy around emerging businesses and startups in this space and I had a blast seeing it all in action tonight. Special thanks to my rockin’ client 211(me) for letting me loiter at their table and help explain their personalized mobile mashup service to interested passersby.

Web Innovators Group, you are teh cool.

[UPDATE: Allen Stern has alerted me that beyond saying "psyched" too much, I also say "you know" roughly 10,934 times in this video. Thanks for the heads up, Allen. This is why I don't make many videos...]