The Last SXSW of Web 2.0
Posted by Nick O'Neill on March 17th, 2008 8:00 AMI’ve wanted to write this post since I returned from South by Southwest last week but the entire weekend has turned into an endless series of naps followed by eating and more napping. Honestly, I can’t complain! I had the opportunity to attend South by Southwest (SXSW) for the first time ever last week. It was probably the best conference I’ve attended in my history of interactive/web/technology conferences over the past couple years.
It seemed that every single person that I had ever linked to or received a link from on any blog I had ever written was at the event. There were video blogging rockstars, twitterati, bloggerati and a collection of some of the most creative individuals from across the country. Rather then continuing to express my undying love for what has become my most favorite industry event, I will simply state the lessons I’ve learned from attending SXSW 2008.
Gary Vaynerchuk is a Rockstar
If you didn’t walk away from SXSW with a WineLibrary.com wristband, you probably weren’t at most of the event. Whether you were an A-List blogger or an intern at your local interactive agency, just about everybody I knew had come across Gary Vaynerchuk at some point during the event. At one point Gary was even pulled up on stage to be praised by Kathy Sierra during a keynote about how he has built a dedicated community.
In less than a year and a half, Gary has built one of the most dedicated fan bases on the web. I had the fortune of meeting him prior to him becoming a cewebrity when he sponsored the first D.C. TechCocktail. Gary is one of the most humble and grateful individuals I have met and this year’s SXSW appeared to honor him for his accomplishments.
Twitter is Still Going Strong
For anybody not at SXSW last week, following Twitter must have been hell. Practically every person I follow on Twitter was posting about the party they were at, what panel they were listening to and how they were finally getting up at 11 o’clock and looking for a brunch buddy. For my friends that weren’t on Twitter at the event, they had become members by the time they left and had suddenly become active users.
Twitter was born at last year’s SXSW and within one year it has become one of the standards for communication among the digerati (which anybody reading this blog is most likely a member of). Whether or not Twitter makes it into the mainstream, it has most definitely become one of the primary communication tools for interactive professionals. If you are reading this and you aren’t a member, go join (and then follow me)!
Be Loud and Proud
Dipping your toes in the interactive waters (pardon the horrible metaphor) is simply not enough. You have to launch a blog, join Twitter, get your profile up on Facebook and any other social site and become active. If you don’t make other people listen, nobody will pay attention. Embracing these new technologies may be a foreign concept for many but in order to reap the full benefit from the tools, you must become an active member.
While it is possible to succeed without making your cell phone or computer an extension of your body, embracing these technologies fully can jumpstart your career overnight. Just ask one of the hundreds of individuals who now find themselves in a secure job thanks to Twitter.
We Are Moving From Web 2.0
Practically everybody at the event was on Facebook or Twitter. Joining the conversation is nothing new. The festival has become a celebration of our new found tools of communication. Just as XHTML became the standard for developing sites, Microformats will rapidly become a standard that is built into platforms. If you don’t know about microformats, don’t worry!
Just know that one year from now, I believe that all of our digital lives will become even more interconnected and navigating the web will have become even more of a social activity, not an individual one.
What takeaways did you get from the event? Do you think I’m wrong about some of my conclusions?
March 17th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Great summary! I did not attend — actually bolted out of Austin just as it was getting rolling — but I had a number of co-workers attend and I kept one eye cocked to Twitter for a bit of vicarious consumption.
The *one* little bit I’ll take a minor issue with is: “You have to launch a blog, join Twitter, get your profile up on Facebook and any other social site and become active.” Specifically, “You have to launch a blog.” Both my own company and many of our clients feel like they have to have a blog. But, increasingly, it seems like a number of the smarter minds in the world of social media are pointing out that: 1) DON’T have a blog if you’re not “ready” to embrace social media, and 2) there are scads of ways to engage (to even “be loud and proud”) without a blog.
I’m increasingly finding myself mounting a soapbox telling people to NOT launch a blog until they’ve been engaging in the blogosphere in other ways for a month or two: read other blogs (and comment!), Facebook, Twitter, and the catch-all “any other social site.”
When you start finding yourself leaving comments that go off on tangents — but that you feel are making good, somewhat original points — and that’s happening a lot, then you might be blog-ready.
Other than that, I love the summary!
March 17th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I’m anxious to try Twitter with a group. I’ve been shooting this video to everyone I know to explain Twitter: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o
The thing is, outside the deeply concentrated SF and possibly Washington areas, is it really picking up steam? Here in Toronto, there hasn’t been a wave of it yet, although it would take off if it had the right marketing.
I’m wondering if Facebook will release something similar. FB Mobile already sends your messages to your phone as texts… Hmm.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Well said Nick!
Being one of those who just recently took the leap into “interactive waters” I have to say I wholeheartedly agree. You can’t really understand it until you become a part of it.