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Archive for March, 2009

Ynema Mangum: At Home in the Cloud

Posted by Mike Chapman on March 24th, 2009

Ynema Mangum, cloud computing manager at Sun Microsystems, is very much in the middle of the major story line that surrounds cloud computing. On the same day that Sun was announcing its new and appropriately named Sun Cloud computing initiatives, IBM was also announcing its intent to purchase Sun. Those of us interested in this very exciting field within the tech community were also following Ynema’s involvement from the middle of the cloud.

So it made those of us who are working with Ynema on the upcoming Interactive Austin 2009 conference on “How Social Media Can Enhance Enterprise Profitability” are very excited about her panel on The Human Cloud.

ynema1

The conference is scheduled for April 27th at the Norris Conference Center in Austin, Texas and Ynema Mangum’s panel on the Human Cloud is scheduled for 2 pm in the afternoon as part of the leadership track.

As Ynema so effectively described the current situation, “cloud computing is no longer hype. In fact, the cloud tail is wagging the hardware dog. PCs have become smaller, as more and more, people can buy PCs like Netbooks that outsource a large portion of the difficult work of computing to the cloud. The driving force behind cloud growth and future trends? Humans.”

“We are the machine,” says Ynema.

If you’re wondering what “the cloud” is exactly, according to Wikipedia, the term cloud is used as a metaphor for the internet itself, based on how the internet is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals.

Few people understand the real life implications the “cloud” has for the enterprise more than Ynema Mangum. I would encourage you to attend this very important presentation. If you, your enterprise, or your organization of any size want to learn first hand about the cloud, you definitely need to plan to attend Interactive Austin 2009.

Note – Look for Sun to be included in the above Wikipedia supplied diagram very soon.

Tags: Aii, Austin Interactive Initiative, Cloud Computing, The Human Cloud
Posted in Squared Root | No Comments »

Jon Lebkowsky: Godfather of Social Media

Posted by Mike Chapman on March 16th, 2009

As another year of SXSW Interactive is nearing completion, I am very impressed by the large numbers of enthusiasts for social media gathered here in Austin, Texas. Among those in attendance again this is year is a hero on the social media scene, a gentle man I have come to refer to as the “Godfather of Social Media.” Because of his tremendous influence on the collection of mediums online that provide for the creation of community, the development of lasting human relationships, and very real opportunities for all of us to enhance our personal and business lives; Jon Lebkowsky is the person many of us consider the true leader of our thriving social media scene in Austin.

Lebkowsky has been involved with online organization and communications for decades. Despite his own incredible web of contacts around the world and throughout the professional and academic circles that provide thought and action leadership on the internet, Jon is quiet about his position in the larger community. Yet his influence is unmistakable.

If you glance through the bibliography of the book Wikinomics, you’ll see that Lebkowsky played a key role in critical volunteer online communications during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. If you read the entry on Jon on Wikipedia, you’ll see that he has been and still is involved in almost every major movement and innovation involving the internet and web 2.0 and is already exploring new iterations of the social web.

Jon is the co-founder of Social Web Strategies with David Armistead, a business expert with his own brilliant resume and credentials, and along with Dave Evans and others, they are charting a new direction for consultation for organizations interested in successfully meeting organizational objectives through incorporation of the social web.

Jon Lebkowsky will be presenting on several panels at the upcoming Austin Interactive 2009 conference to be held in Austin, Texas, at the Norris Center on April 27th. He and David Armistead will lead panels on Emergent Leadership at 11:00 am. Later that same day, at 4:00 pm, Lebkowsky and Armistead will lead another panel on Sustainability, an area they’re expert in as well. Additionally, they’ll be involved in other panels throughout the day.

If you want to meet Jon sooner than April 27th, he and his colleagues are putting on what is considered the best party held during SXSW Interactive – Plutopia! Jon may be more than a little spread thin, but you can be sure that he’ll still be among the friendliest, most charming, smartest, and best known people at the gathering. His real life persona matches up perfectly with the Jon you would meet as @JonL on Twitter and everywhere else you can find him online…which is everywhere.

FG SQUARED will have a booth at Plutopia and we invite everyone to stop by and say hello as we watch Jon Lebkowsky spread his social media goodwill among the crowd.

Tags: Aii, Austin Interactive Initiative, Bootstrap Web, Godfather, One Web Day, Social Business Strategy, The Well, The Whole Earth Catalog, Weblogsky, World Changing
Posted in Squared Root | 1 Comment »

Christopher Justice: Next Generation Marketer

Posted by Mike Chapman on March 14th, 2009

Among the many extremely talented social media practitioners slated to present at Austin Interactive 2009 is one I admire greatly – Christopher Justice.

Chris is the CEO and leader of Sparksight, one of the most innovative and important companies operating out of Austin and affecting social media on a global scale. Sparksight is a full-service, interactive marketing and event management company and it’s leading the way in establishing the city as a hub for social media professionals who know how to achieve greater profitability for enterprise level businesses.

Chris is not only brilliant, he’s tireless. I mean that literally. He doesn’t sleep. I’ve asked him. He is so passionate about what he does that it’s almost impossible for him to not be doing it. So while we mere mortals are resting, Chris Justice is charging forward and making things happen for the benefit of his clients.

Chris is easily accessible online at his twitter address @megajustice and most other places where we gather online. If you want the full impact of what he’s doing in the are of video innovations, the next frontier in the rapidly changing field of social media, you will need to hear him in person and attend his session.

Registration for Interactive Austin 2009 is underway. To register please go to http://www.interactiveaustin2009.com.

The title for this session is “Online Video Marketing: Strategies for the Next Generation Marketer,” and following is an abstract. This session will be conducted at 4 pm, April 27th, at the Norris Center in Austin, Texas.

The evolution of technology has allowed business professionals the ability to reach a broad audience with a minimal financial investment. However, successfully communicating your message with video requires more than a simple sales pitch, you’ll need an entertaining and educational experience that can be spread without traditional marketing boundaries. Whether you are creating overview videos about your company or creating your first video blog, you’ll learn the “in’s and out’s” of video marketing and how to capitalize on video, social media and viral marketing strategies for new media.

According to Chris, attendees will learn how to:
·     Identify messages and methods that are memorable to viewers
·     Develop a cost-effective budget for a high quality, professional production
·     Develop a video production timeline and success checklist
·     Create memorable videos that capture and retain attention
·     Avoid costly mistakes in producing online video
·     Assess the viewership and value of your video investment

For up to the moment updates, go to @IA09 on twitter and look for the #IA09 hashtag on TwitterSearch.

~ Mike Chapman

Tags: #IA09, Aii, Austin Interactive Initiative, Christopher Justice, social media, Sparksight, Video
Posted in Squared Root | 2 Comments »

Making Austin The Hub for Social Media

Posted by Steve Golab on March 14th, 2009

If you are reading this today, Saturday Mar 14, please go to @barcampaustin being held at the Paradox from 9am – 9pm. I can assure you that Whurley and Giovanni have genius up their sleeve for you. You do not need a SXSW badge to get in.

Experience City kicked off!

I’m excited to share the results of the Experience City conversation that occured at Social Media Club Austin on Thursday evening at Vignette’s headquarters.

Chris Heuer kicked off the meeting. Wow, what a guy. He is the original founder of Social Media Club, and let me assure you he has a great personal brand with my friends. After an evening getting to know him better, I can see why his brand is so good. Thank you very much for joining us, Chris.

Our emcee Mike Chapman then handed off to H&R Block. We all received 15 minutes of tax preparation tips geared for social media types. Forrester Research was in the house. Special thanks to Vignette, Small World Labs, and FG SQUARED who are the present sponsors of Social Media Club Austin.

We kicked off to a crowded room.

Heather McKissick, President and CEO of Leadership Austin, opened the conversation by engaging with the audience to generate ideas and build a case for Austin as a nation leading experience economy. Afterall, building unique experiences is something that taps into our collective creative talents in Austin.

Just think of businesses like Alamo Drafthouse, Run Tex, Amy’s Ice Cream, Whole Foods. These are businesses that just flat out ‘get it’ when it comes to leaving lasting impressions.

As I understand it, Heather’s vision for Austin is as a City of Scenes. She has been building the vision with Bijoy Goswami – another sharp tack who leads Austin’s Entrepreneurial scene. I also understand that many others in Austin’s business community including Jon Lebkowsky have been aligning with these ideas for some time now.

It’s all about activating Austin Interactive scene via emergent leadership!

As good fortune would have it, Bijoy and Heather are applying their thinking to help us activate Austin’s Interactive scene. We are trying to help Austin show up as vibrant social media star in the universe of international businesses. This is a BIG goal, so we all need to cooperate if we want to have a shot at success.

Join us at Interactive Austin 2009!

Check out our flatstock poster art. Please share it with your friends and help us spread the word around Texas like a wild fire.

Interactive Austin 2009 (#IA09) is our platform for activating Austin’s Interactive scene. The event will be well worth the price – currently set at $155 early bird special with reasonable discounts offered to supporting organizations.

Many of us who are preparing for Interactive Austin believe that Central Texas economic development can be enriched through grassroots organization. We believe this effort will be a strategic advantage for all Texans – something that we can all be proud of.

If you are someone who would like to join Interactive Austin as a sponsor or exhibitor, please contact Jason Meyers at Austin Business District Magazine. You can contact me as well. There are still exhibition booth spaces available for those of you who want to get some better visibility with everyone who shows up.

Rock on with the Gods of Interactive Austin and all of our supporters!

Sincerely,
Steve Golab

The case for the Interactive Austin 2009 live streaming channel

Pirates like Chris Brogan have arrived in Austin for Pubcon and SXSW. It is so cool to see all of the goodwill that Austin experiences as a result.

According to my sources, he will be in Holland on April 27, and thus not able to join us in person at Interactive Austin 2009. The only shot we have to bring him in is through live streaming. The producers of our event cannot afford live streaming unless we sell out the show. And even then, I am not sure exactly how we are going to do it, but let me assure we have what it takes. Also bear in mind that I haven’t spoken to Chris about this yet, but I am sure he will appreciate the opportunity.

Please join our cause.

Tags: #IA09, @barcampaustin, @bijoy, @chrisbrogan, @heathermck, @jonl, @mike_chapman, Aii, Austin Interactive Initiative, experience city, interactive austin
Posted in Squared Root | 2 Comments »

Go Big Always – Sam Lawrence

Posted by Mike Chapman on March 9th, 2009

Sam Lawrence’s blog “Go Big Always” is, for my taste, the perfect name for a blog by someone who is pushing the limits on social media and who has a solid Texas connection. Being a native Texan myself, I’m very familiar with the line that “everything is bigger in Texas.”

When given the choice between shrinking into the background or really going for it, a full-blown social media program makes it possible to go big and to really go for it. Sam exemplifies someone who is doing both extremely well and is exactly the kind of speaker that we were looking for to round out the excellent keynotes already slated for Interactive Austin 2009.

Sam Lawrence is Chief Marketing Officer for Jive Software and one of those guys who enjoys getting in front of a crowd and mixing it up. In fact, the title for his presentation, “No more whipcream on dogsh*t – 20 practical ways to use social software to drive profitability” is one of the more memorable presentation titles I’ve come across and straight to the point.

If I knew nothing about Sam, I’d want to hear what he has to say about using social media to drive profitability because he is committed to getting past the fluff, or whipped cream, and getting to the heart of the matter.

Knowing that he has vast experience; that he is really, really good at what he does; and, he has spent time living and working in Austin, makes having Sam keynote at Interactive Austin literally a no-brainer of decision. He’s telling it like it is.

When I asked Sam how he felt about joining us, Sam said, “I miss Austin. Everyone should have bands in grocery stores and 10 gallon water glasses.”

We need to give Sam Lawrence on old-fashioned welcome back home to Texas on April 27th. Join us for the full day at Interactive Austin 2009. Click here to go to the website where you can get registered. Be sure to also follow our updates on @IA09 on Twitter and by searching #IA09. In addition to Sam, we have a whole bunch of valuable information to share on gaining a competitive advantage in this very challenging economy.

Tags: #IA09, austin, Jive Software, social media, Whipped Cream
Posted in Squared Root | 2 Comments »

3.3.09: Happy Square Root Day!

Posted by Courtney Steen on March 3rd, 2009

Mathematicians the world over rejoice this day as they expound upon the mathematical unity and appropriateness of Square Root Day. We here at FG SQUARED are rejoicing too, and think people need to explore the perfection of this date to really understand how wonderful and rare an opportunity it really is, even if it reveals that we are a gaggle of true-blue nerds, geeks, and weirdos. (Come one, you all knew already, didn’t you?) So come along with us and take some time today to relax and indulge those secret parts of yourself:

• Be square: It takes a lot of energy to constantly maintain an acceptable and popular level of coolness. Take a moment to reflect on your inner nerdiness today. What are you really good at but have to hide for fear of others discovering it and exploiting your weakness? Rejoice! Speak Klingon, crunch numbers, surf the internet, play Trivial Pursuit (well), or talk to someone about the latest and most interesting article in Scientific American. Today geekiness is a strength!

• Explore your roots: Get in touch with all those people who ever taught you math and thank them for giving you a base so you could really appreciate today.

• Wear square: Forget all those form-fitting, stifling clothes today and wear something boxy and bulky and eminently more comfortable.

• Square your food: Cut root veggies in squares (I got that from somewhere on the internet), make square cupcakes or pies (pi’s—3.14 or 31409—ha ha, more fun with math!), make up dishes with 3 equal ingredients or 9 ingredients, or make up drinks and cocktails with 3 equal ingredients or 9 ingredients (I smell an FG SCREWDRIVER or FG ICE TEA cocktail coming).

• Hold a random Shakespearean square dance: Make up silly names; collect some psychologically unsound royalty, a few seedy tavern owners, and some wenches and witches; generate some good Shakespeare-inspired insults (http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html); put on an Elizabethan collars; form a square; and get down!

• Water some roots—nurture those plants!

• Run your own pants up a flagpole.

• Triple-dog-dare someone to do anything.

And while you’re enjoying yourself following these Square pursuits, remember to give a nod to both the Gregorian calendar and the math community for bringing us a chance to indulge in an entire day of random Square Root-ness.

Tags: courtney steen, fg squared, nerdiness, root, square, square root day, the squared root
Posted in Squared Root | 3 Comments »

140 Characters Will Feed 140 Kids

Posted by Mike Chapman on March 1st, 2009

This weekend I met Scott Henderson from Mediasauce over the phone and learned about a great new idea to help with the problem of hunger. As a participant in the HAM-UP last year with the good people at the Capital Area Food Bank, I was really excited to learn about his plans for the Hunger Pledge campaign in association with Tyson Foods and several other organizations.

Once again, Ed Nicholson of Tyson Foods is extending a very generous pledge of food for the hungry if people take the action to sign on to the Hunger Pledge campaign. One of the clever social media tools being used by Scott is to have One Click Feed 140 Kids giving it a nice symmetry with the 140 character limit on twitter updates. Scott writes on his blog, “Simply by signing an online pledge to share the website with others, volunteer, and/or give, you will trigger a 35 lb food donation from Tyson. That means every person who joins the movement will help feed 140 children. With 1,000 people taking the pledge, we can make sure the Tyson semi-trailer will arrive in Austin during the SXSW ’09 interactive festival.”

Scott is recruiting a Wall of Champions led by national co-captains Chris Brogan and Beth Kanter. Here’s a list from the comments section on Scott’s blog post yesterday that shows a great representation of Austin and other Twitter users.

Lisa Goddard, Capital Area Food Bank – @lisa_goddard

David Armano, CriticalMass – @armano

Connie Reece, Every Dot Connects – @conniereece

Steve Golab, FG SQUARED – @steve_golab

Mike Chapman, Social Media Club Austin – @mikechapman

Jason Crouch, Austin Texas Homes – @jasoncrouch

Caryn Brown – @carynbrown

Lotay Yang, Black Card Circle – @lotay

Joe Waters, Boston Medical Center – @joewaters

John Haydon, CorporatedDollar.org – @johnhaydon

Mike Hollywood, Cone – @mikehollywood

Geoff Livingston, Livingston Commuications – @geoffliving

Peter Corbett – @corbett3000

John Andrews and Wal-Mart’s Elevenmoms group

Lawrence Liu, Telligent – @lliu

Casey Moore – @mooshinindy

Angie Six – @katydid6

Warren Sukernek, Radian6 – @warrenss

Bob Angus, VeriSign- @bobangus

Matt Ceniceros, FedEx – @mattceni

Dave Knox, Procter & Gamble – @daveknox

KyNam Doan – @KyNamDoan

John Cass – @johncass

Would you like to join us? Just comment below with your twitter handle and I’ll make sure Scott gets your name. You can also click on the logos above and they’ll take you to Scott’s blog where you can comment that you would like to be on the Wall of Champions. Then help spread the word social media style.

Posted in Squared Root | 2 Comments »

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