Takeaways from SXSW
March 21, 2009 by Deb Ng
Filed under Thoughts and Stuff
As you know, I attended the South by Soutwest Interactive festival last weekend. Because I spent most of my time working and doing live interviews from the BlogTalkRadio pod, I didn’t get to go to any sessions, but I did learn some valuable lessons. I’d love to share them with you today.
- Conferences are an important networking tool. I met the most intersting people. I also met folks I’ll be working with in the future on various BlogTalkRadio and FWJ promotions.
- Cold calling works. You know how I always say you will get the best, most profitable jobs by cold calling? During one of my interviews for BlogTalkRadio, I spoke with iFocus’ Brian Reich. Brian is also a blogger for Fast Company. When I asked how he got such a cushy blogging gig he responded, “cold calling.” Brian will come back to discuss cold calling with us in the future.
- You never know who you will meet at a conference. My friend Lisa Sabin Wilson was approached by the folks who publish “WordPress for Dummies” at a conference. For Lisa, it’s been a very profitable ride.
- If you’re good at what you do, people will notice. While interviewing Christian Lander of the very funny “Stuff White People Like” blog and book, I learned Christian had no intention of ever turning his blog into a book. Instead he was approached by a representative of his publishing company. Now he has a best seller on his hands. Many bloggers go through the motions but if you’re good at what you do, folks will notice.
- We need to close our laptops and turn off our cell phones once in a while. One thing that struck me at SXSW was how many people were sitting around tables Twittering, yet they weren’t talking to each other. For meals, I made it a point of leaving my electronic devices back at the hotel and had some amazing conversations.
- I am a very small fish in a very big pond.
- SXSW isn’t about the parties, though some call it “Spring Break for Geeks”. It’s about meeting and talking with some great minds. The conference is huge, but I met community managers from many national brands and the insight I gained was invaluable.
- I love what I do. I love being a blogger, I love being a community manager, and I especially love meeting people and learning how they use our service. I enjoy convincing other to drink my koolaid and I especially enjoy brainstorming and sharing ideas. To say SXSW was one of the most positive experiences of my life is an understatement.
Did you go to SXSW? If so, what did you take away?
