Archive for the 'Etc.' Category

How to Spark a Movement (SXSW Recap)

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Scott Heiferman – founder of www.meetup.com This solo presentation from Scott was the last session on Saturday, and it was the perfect way to cap off my first day. He did a terrific job of infusing his talk with both enthusiasm and practicality: There are people everywhere looking to connect. He showed a screenshot of [...]

Epic Lulz: Creating Funny Content on the Web (SXSW Recap)

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

John Hargrave (Moderator), www.zug.com Mark Malkof, www.markmalkoff.com - lived in IKEA for a week; went to all the Manhattan Starbucks in 24 hours Jeff Rubin, editor of www.collegehumor.com Rob Cockerham, www.cockeyed.com - specializes in pranks Chris Wilson, cartoonist for web comic Cyanide & Happiness I expected this panel to be kinda off the wall, but I was [...]

Future of Context: Getting the Bigger Picture Online (SXSW Recap)

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Jay Rosen, NYU Matt Thompson, NPR Tristan Harris, Apture founder and CEO Staci D. Kramer (Moderator), ContentNext Media /paidContent #futureofcontext This was one of the most intriguing, thoughtful panels I’ve ever been to. NYU journalism prof Jay Rosen wrote about how they prepared for and ran the panel, and their work really paid off in [...]

How to Create a Viral Video (SXSW Recap)

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

I was a bit skeptical about this panel and really hoped it wouldn’t be some jaded, corporate strategry on manufacturing something that in reality is difficult to capture. Well, I had nothing to worry about. YouTube’s Margaret Gould Stewart joined TED Talks Director of Film and Video Jason Wishnow and Damian Kulash, he of the [...]

Conducting Great Interviews (SXSW Recap)

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Check the #greatinterviewsadvice hashtag on Twitter for more on this session. University of Kansas Professor Nancy Baym led an interactive session about conducting great interviews, whether for broadcast, print or recruiting. Some of the points were pretty standard, but overall it was a helpful discussion. Some main points: “What questions should I ask?” is not [...]

Visual Note-Taking 101 (SXSW Recap)

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

“Make a damn mark–a blank page is always terrifying.” –Visual note-taker Austin Kleon Visual Note-Taking 101 was the perfect follow-up to Dan Roam’s Why Words Won’t Work session. The session kicked off with free sketch books (pictured left) and tons of enthusiasm from panelists Kleon, Sunni Brown, Mike Rohde and Dave Gray. They each have [...]

Dan Roam: Why Words Won’t Work (SXSW Recap)

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Dan Roam’s SXSW Interactive talk on visual thinking was far and away a highlight of the conference for me. His book, “The Back of the Napkin,” has been on my reading list for awhile, and it just shot to the top after hearing him speak. Roam’s central point: EVERYONE is a visual thinker. 75 percent [...]

Hippies, Idealists and Do-Gooders: SXSW Interactive Wants to Save the World

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

At the 2009 SXSW Interactive conference, I think I heard the word “monetize” roughly 17 times a day. As in “That kitten is cute, but how can we monetize it? What’s the ROI on scratching its tummy?” Good grief. But in 2010, I didn’t hear the word even once. [And the people rejoiced.] No, this [...]

5 Lessons from SXSW Interactive – 1 Year Later

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Last year I attended SXSW Interactive for the first time, after being convinced that it’s for more than just web developers and startup gurus. And it was awesome. Exhausting for an introvert like me. But awesome. One of the things that I value most is that my SXSW experience managed to hit some high, soaring, [...]

Obsessing Over Esquire’s Brilliant Roger Ebert Profile

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Every once in awhile a piece of journalism just grabs hold of you, sinks its teeth in and takes over your soul. And I mean that in the best way possible. I read Chris Jones’s Esquire magazine profile of Roger Ebert last week, and I still can’t shake it. It was moving, fascinating, funny and [...]

I write what I know (and love). Mostly higher education, writing, public relations, and living a dual life between Tucson and Austin. Want to work with me? Just click Contact up top.