Social Honeycomb

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!

Are You a Chicken?

I definitely identify with the feeling of running around like a chicken with its head cut off.  I think a lot of us do, and Greg mused about it in a post today. We all need a little nudge to remember to take a deep breath sometimes, so I’m reposting.  Enjoy.

You can find Greg’s original post here, along with tons more brilliance and chicken pictures, on his marketing blog.

Hey chicken, where’s your head?

No doubt, you’re familiar with the phrase “running around like a chicken with its head cut off.” In fact, if you work in media, marketing, advertising, PR or (let’s face facts) just about any industry at all you’re more than just familiar with the phrase – you might be a living embodiment of it.

For the past few years, we ran around trying to get ahead of the proverbial topple of “old marketing” and get up to speed on all of the new media goodies we now had at our disposal — from web video to social media, and everything in between.  Sadly, for many this amounted to little more than a series of pointless sprints across the shifting sands of early adoption.  We’d read an article about some hot new Web 2.0 tactic or catch wind that a key competitor was trying something “innovative,” and we were off and running.  But rarely did we look where we were going, or even look around to figure out where we were starting out.  I can’t even count the number of times I ranted (on this blog) or advised clients to slow down and take a more measured, more strategic approach to new marketing — not to the detriment of progress, but for the betterment of the business.

And now we’ve got the current round of economic woes to deal with as well. They’re certainly cause for concern.  Budgets are being slashed, people are losing their jobs, entire companies are going out of business.  Scary times.   Client-side marketers are scrambling to cut-cut-cut-cut-cut.  All of those experimental tactics that they couldn’t wait to try before the recession are now being left on the cutting room floor.  If you’re an agency-side marketer (whether traditional, digital, social or PR) you’re probably so afraid of being slashed along with those cutting-floor-things that you’re killing yourself to over-service your clients for less money than they paid you last year.

I get it… Times are tough, and we all need to do what we need to do in order to survive.

But here’s the sad truth about chickens with their heads cut off — they can run around all they want; they’re still gonna die.

The good news is that you’re (probably) smarter than a chicken.  If you’re really smart (and the company you work for is smart too), you probably already had a hard times plan in place long before the economy took a downward turn.  You exercised a bit of foresight and managed to keep your neck away from the blade — maybe you had a few feathers plucked but at least you still have your head.

Now might be a good time to use it. Stop running around in a state of panic.  There is plenty of chaos already (in the world, in your industry, probably in your company as well) — nobody needs you to create more chaos.  But others can probably use your help in creating order.

Try this:

• Take a deep breath.
• Think about what needs to get done.
• Come up with a reasonable plan to do it.
• And then do it… and do it well.

As I read those four sentences, they seem laughably simple.  But is there really any other way?  Has there really ever been any other way?

OK – end of rant… :-)

Share Something Sweet, Win Chocolate

Valentine’s Day may be over, but loving the people in your life and loving chocolate can fit in every day of the year.  This may seem like it’s coming a bit late, but Ferrero Rocher asked me to share a delicious and soul-nourishing initiative that you can be part of.

Chocolate experts Ferrero Rocher and Share Our Strength teamed up this month to help end child hunger.  By visiting this link, sending a message to your loved ones, Ferrero will make a donation to Share Our Strength on your behalf. I think that’s pretty sweet.

But wait! There’s more. I have two heart-shaped boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates to give away to you. And yes, I’ve tried them–yum.  If you’d like to receive a box, leave a comment about your love of chocolate, and I’ll send a box to the authors of my two favorite responses.

So get to it. Spread the love and win some noms.

Housewife or Rocker? You Decide. [Celeb Twins]

I wonder if Real Housewives of Orange County slim jim Lynne Curtin and Aerosmith rock god Steven Tyler have one of those secret twin languages. Based on the photos below, I’m guessing yes.

See it?

Quick! Five Questions [Totally Random Edition]

Haven’t done this in a while, but let’s bring back the quickie questions. Leave your answers in the comments, buddies. Ready, set, go!

1. If you could only wear one color for a whole year, what would it be?

2. What’s your drink of choice?

3. What’s your favorite dinner?

4. Would you rather watch Titanic or The Notebook? (Pretend that neither is not an option.)

5. What celebrity do you look like?

The Official Color of 2009: Mimosa Yellow!

I think it’s safe to say that January’s been off to a somewhat rocky start for a lot of people.  Knowing that everyone may need some reassurance and hope that this year will turn out just dandy, Pantone, the global authority on color, has selected the official shade of 2009 as a warm, bright yellow called Mimosa.

Why not red or green or fuschia?  Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, explains:

“The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance.  Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

Hear that?  2009 is all about focusing on optimism, imagination and innovation.  Sounds about right to me.  Good choice, Pantone.
[via Luxaholics]

It’s a Beautiful Day for a Neighbor with RentWiki.com

I came to Boston in September 2004 as a freshman at Boston University. Since that time, I’ve lived in three different dorm rooms and four different apartment buildings, with a total of eight different roommates and spanning three distinct neighborhoods. Still, I’m hardly a special case–this is just how life is for the thousands of college students and young professionals in Boston and in cities around the country.

For me, moving has always seemed like a bit of a crapshoot. You MIGHT like the neighborhood, you MIGHT like the building, you MIGHT not hate your neighbors, but you’re really jumping into a new living situation blindly. And that’s the problem RentWiki.com hopes to solve.

RentWiki.com recently announced the official launch of its site, which serves to help apartment hunters learn more about rental properties and the culture of different neighborhoods through a social networking community. While the site still lacks a deep level of content for most cities, RentWiki.com has the potential to be a great resource for anyone looking to rent property in a new neighborhood.

The site aims to offer a look at daily life at the neighborhood level in a wiki format via locally contributed content, neighborhood reviews, pros and cons, and renter recommendations. As the site and its content grow, RentWiki.com has promise to become a tool that will help people find an apartment, condo or neighborhood to fit their personal style, taste and financial needs through seeing what people who actually live there have to say about the area.

Time will tell if people jump on this idea and contribute their thoughts to the site–I’m certainly interested to see how the Boston content develops. Would you utilize a resource like this?

Adaptation

Millennials–those kids who were raised thinking everyone’s a winner, that you get a trophy just for showing up, and whose parents and teachers taught them that they can rule the world–are, as a cohort, growing up a little bit more. We Millennials joined the workforce with smiles, confidence and optimism, and we knew that our smarts and savvy would serve us well in our budding careers. Sure, we’re a special breed of junior staff, but I’d like to think (surprise, surprise) that we’re adding something special to the mix.

Last week, SHIFT Communications made the hard decision to conduct layoffs, and those let go were mostly junior staffers. The same goes for lots of other public relations firms across the country. And this is not exclusive to PR. Small tech startups to behemoth management companies are joining the fray as well. Dark days.

So what? This is the first time the all-smiles, reach-for-the-stars generation has experienced life and work in a major downturn. Gen-Xers and Boomers know the drill–they’ve been through this sort of thing before. This recession, these hard times–it’s a first for us, and these days will inarguably force Millennials to change the way we think about the world around us. Gone are the days of expecting gold stars for doing our best. Make no mistake, we get it.

It will be interesting to see how the hits we take today will affect the Millennial generation’s outlook and experiences in the future. I wonder too, if perceptions of our generation will change as we work hard to adapt and navigate these hard times. Will the kids who were told they could do anything change their tune after going through a major recession?

Photo by terren in Virginia