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Posts Tagged ‘#IA09’

Michael Williams: Social Media Early Adopter

Posted by Mike Chapman on April 23rd, 2009

The Honorable Michael Williams, Railroad Commissioner of Texas, is one of the most effective users of social media in the public or private sectors anywhere today. Long before most officeholders and candidates were actively blogging, using Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, Michael Williams was already “geeking out” and actively engaging in conversations with constituents, fellow policy wonks and techies. Not only does Williams use these social tools, and more, in his official and unofficial capacities, he’s actually a content creator and a really good one at that.

I’m honored and excited to be moderating a panel at Interactive Austin 2009 where Michael Williams will share his views on how state and federal governments should incorporate the social and collaborative tools already available today and on the horizon.

Michael Williams recently won a Texas Social Media Award for his authentic use of social media. By engaging in real and open conversations with other users of social media, Williams embodies the concepts that we consider to be the best practices in social media, and he does so in his role as a statewide elected official. In a brilliant strategic move, he’s also incorporating the tools and the philosophy behind social media into his campaign for U.S. Senate.

For Michael Williams, breaking new ground and setting trends is a way of life and seems to come naturally. Only a few of the highlights from his amazing biography include serving as the chair of the Governor’s Clean Coal Technology Council and the Governor’s Competitiveness Council. Additionally, he represents the Governor and the Railroad Commission of Texas on the Southern States Energy Board and the Interstate Mining Compact Commission.

Williams also is an appointee on the National Coal Council and an advisory board to the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He also serves as the Railroad Commission’s “point person” for the agency’s regulatory reform and technology modernization efforts. An advocate of alternative energy, Williams’ “Breathe Easy” initiative champions the conversion of Texas public and private fleets, especially school buses, from diesel and gasoline to environmentally cleaner, cheaper and domestically produced natural gas and propane.

Michael Williams is a star and is one of the key people to watch in the public affairs arena. He is right on the cutting edge of reform and innovation in the energy sector and, because he is such avid and authentic user of social media, he will give all of us a front row seat in this very important public policy area. Thanks to Williams, our voices are an actual part of the conversation.

For our panel, look for at least a couple of hashtags: #IA09 and #TCOT.

Tags: #IA09, Michael Williams, Railroad Commission, social media, U.S. Senate
Posted in Squared Root | 2 Comments »

Scavenger Hunt 2.0

Posted by Courtney Steen on April 22nd, 2009

We know you did them as a kid. Wow. Scavenger hunts. Come on, everyone did one as a kid. Whether it was finding the bouncy balls and Frisbees in the backyard or following your big brother’s random Pig Latin clues all over the middle school grounds to find your birthday present (only to find that some enterprising young squirrel had already gotten to your candy stash), scavenger hunts were surely an interesting diversion for most of us at some point in time.

For my 8th birthday party, we organized one. How else were my folks supposed to entertain a dozen energetic boys and girls? We broke up into pairs and went off in the neighborhood to find what we needed to win the prize. One of the items on our list was a license plate, so my big sister and I got my dad’s screwdriver and took off with the plate from the family mini-van. When our dad found out he was pretty mad, but thought it was too funny to punish us. As I recall, we were the only ones who found the license plate, too. Good times.

No one does scavenger hunts anymore. I guess people consider them passé, what with Wiis and PlayStations and bouncy castles around. Well, we at FG SQUARED feel that it’s a shame to let such a wonderful tradition go by the wayside, so we decided to revamp the rules a bit and apply them to the Internet. And today, Wednesday, April 22, 2009, we will kick off our first Web 2.0 Scavenger Hunt! The rules are simple:

1) Sign up to follow FG SQUARED on Twitter (fgsquared) sometime before Wednesday at 3 PM CDT. (You will need to sign up for a Twitter account if you do not already have one.)
2) At 3 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 22, we will Tweet the first hint. Follow the clue to the next website/URL/whatever, to receive the next instruction. Each step will include both a clue and instructions on how to find the next clue.
3) If you think you know the answer, let us know through direct message on Twitter. The person with the first correct answer wins the grand prize, with runner-up prizes going to the second and third people to send us the correct answer. When we have our 3 winners, we will Tweet the answer and the names of the winners to officially end the game.

HOW TO WIN: When you think you know what we are thinking, DIRECT MESSAGE FG SQUARED on Twitter. The FIRST person to do so with the correct answer wins the free Interactive Austin 2009 ticket.

There are, naturally, some restrictions and guidelines to make things as fair as possible:

1) The game begins Wednesday, April 22, at 3 PM CDT.
2) Each person only gets 1 answer. If you Direct Message us on Twitter and guess incorrectly, you are no longer eligible to win.
3) If you decide to participate, please clear your schedule for Monday, April 27, 2009, to attend the event!

And, in the grand tradition of Scavenger Hunts, we have some pretty nifty prizes to give away:

1) Grand Prize Winner: One FREE ticket to Interactive Austin 2009 ($163 value)
2) First Runner-up: Discount code for Interactive Austin 2009 ($25 value), plus some cool FG SQUARED swag
3) Second Runner-up: Some cool FG SQUARED swag

So come and Hunt with us! Come on, you know you want to, even if it’s just an experiment in how truly confused we can make you. (And I daresay that we are able to make you well and truly dumbfounded.) Hey, it’s the Internet; if you run into trouble, just Google all the clues and see what pops up. It might even work! What have you got to lose?

See you ‘round the Internets this afternoon! Happy Hunting!

Oh, and here’s a little something about Interactive Austin 2009:
Austin is a hub for many and varied cultures and activities, not the least of which is social media interactivity. It is only fitting, then, that Austin is the home to several conferences and events that focus on the Social Web or Web 2.0. Enter Interactive Austin 2009, a conference that offers a relaxed atmosphere in which you can learn about and discuss the many aspects of social media and the ways in which social media can benefit your business. The Social Web is an unknown quantity to a lot of people, and the thought of jumping in without knowing the consequences—or worse, making huge mistakes—can be more than daunting, especially with your bottom line riding on the outcome. So if you need to know “how to strategically and tactically integrate the many aspects of social media initiatives into your business and marketing strategies, with a view towards using these new tools to enhance revenue streams and profitability,” Interactive Austin 2009 is the place to go!

PLAY NOW to win a FREE TICKET to IA2009!

Tags: #IA09, FREE, Free Ticket, Interactive Austin 2009, Scavenger Hunt, Social Web, Web 2.0
Posted in Squared Root | No Comments »

Social Media Workshops at #IA09

Posted by Mike Chapman on April 18th, 2009

In the past few years I have met many, many people who are passionate about social media and the social web. Two people that would have to be on any top ten list – keep in mind that this is out of thousands – would be Connie Reece and Dave Evans. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with both of them.

Connie and Dave will be leading workshops on April 27th as a part of Interactive Austin 2009. True to the description of IA09 as interactive, these workshops will give practical examples through case studies and allow for direct participation by attendees.

If you are interested in attending Interactive Austin 2009 and are interested in talking to me about it, please reach out to me on Twitter at my address @MikeChapman. I know a discount code or two that I can still share with you if you register soon.

The workshops alone, which are described below, are well worth the price of admission. The opportunity to network with the keynotes, panel participants and other attendees and FG SQUARED team make it a bargain.

~Mike

Social Media Means Business – Three Workshops That Show You How.

Monday April 27, 1p – 5p.

Join New Media Lab’s Connie Reece, founder of Every Dot Connects along with Dave Evans, Social Web Strategies Principal and FG SQUARED strategy partner and also the author of “Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day” for a series of workshops covering the essentials of social media as it is applied to business and professional branding.

In three sequential, hands-on sessions Dave and Connie will take you through actual cases of successful and not-so-successful blogging campaigns as they will dive into metrics and the case studies that show how the best practices, along with what to avoid. This set of workshops has been developed exclusively for Interactive Austin 2009. Spend some time in this workshop track and come away prepared to put theory into action.

Workshop Session #1: 2:2:45p “Getting Social Media Right”

Copywriter Amy Lemen, founder of Writeous Words Communications and PR professional Alan Weinkrantz join Connie and Dave in the first of three workshops. Connie and Dave will cover the basics of putting social media to work while Amy and Alan offer serious and practical hands-on tips from copywriting to developing your PR strategy as they show you how to create an effective social presence. You’ll see the essential elements and best practices that drive successful social media based marketing efforts and learn how to integrate this into your current marketing program. You’ll see how to plan, measure, and track your results.

Social Media Marketing Workshop Session #2: Social Media: Inside the Enterprise

Susan Scrupski of SoCo Partners along with Information Architect Chris
Almond, most recently with IBM’s Redbooks project, will lead a
“barcamp” style session where individuals can dive into discussions
surrounding real-world issues related to enterprise adoption of 2.0
tools and philosophies. This session will be user-generated and will
provide an open forum to hear from leading evangelists, peers, and
practitioners on the frontlines of Enterprise transformation.
Moderated by Dave Evans, this session will give you the insight you
need to develop a customized roadmap for your business.

Workshop Session #3: 4:00 – 4:45p “Social Media: Outside the Enterprise”

Having a great product or service, and the internal culture to sustain it–is only half the challenge. Join Cynthia Jackson, Director, Communications and Marketing of Baylor University along with KXAN’s former Twitter maven Charlie Ray and Austin’s own John McElhenney as they walk through the strategic and tactical aspects of the social strategies they helped create. Facilitated by Connie Reece, this workshop will show you how to put the Social Web to work.

Tags: #IA09, Aii, Austin Interactive Initiative, Connie Reece, Dave Evans, Every Dot Connects, New Media Lab, Social Web Strategies
Posted in Squared Root | No Comments »

Cynthia Baker: Public Relations 2.0

Posted by Mike Chapman on April 3rd, 2009

If you are attempting to understand the convergence of social media and traditional marketing and communications, you need to know Cynthia Baker, founder of Accolades Public Relations. Cynthia, an early adopter of social media here in Austin, Texas, seamlessly navigates the worlds of tight deadlines, precise and well written copy, and accurately sourced information that are standard in the traditional public relations field, with the anything-goes, crowd-sourced, and seemingly impulsive nature of communications on the social web.

Cynthia is an original co-founder of the Social Media Club and its Austin chapter and she provides invaluable leadership for the Austin PR and social media communities. In her role at Accolades, she is extremely effective in bringing public relations to the social web and incorporating social media channels which utilize conversational and relationship-based communications models into her clients’ business practices. Hers’ is one of those “rubber meets the road” PR firms who actually join the conversation. If you’re wondering what I mean by that, you really need to meet her.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Cynthia Baker in various capacities during past several years. In that time I’ve observed that she is particularly effective in bringing the two sometimes divergent worlds of the corporate C-suite and the rough and tumble world of social media together in an understandable and manner that produces results for all sides involved.

Cynthia Baker will be leading a session during Interactive Austin 2009 on exactly what she knows best – public relations in the 2.0 environment. Her very powerful panel includes Bob Pearson, Vice President for Communications and Communities at Dell; Christi Day, Online Spokesperson and Emerging Media Specialist for Southwest Airlines; and, Paul Walker, President of Cohn & Wolfe Digital. Any member of this panel could easily lead a session or day of sessions. Combined, the panel is a wealth of information on the social web and public relations.

Interactive Austin 2009 is scheduled for April 27th, at the Norris Center. Cynthia Baker and her panel will complete the leadership track during the afternoon sessions and will be held at 4 pm.

Be sure to follow @IA09 on Twitter for regular updates on Interactive Austin 2009 and look for #IA09 to follow the conversation.

Tags: #IA09, accolades public relations, Aii, Austin Interactive Initiative, cohn and wolfe, dell, Interactive Austin 2009, social media club, southwest airlines
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 »

Interactive Austin is a Platform for Sustainable Economic Development

Posted by Steve Golab on February 26th, 2009

Normally, with the SXSW festival right around the corner, I would be gearing up right now to maximize my conference experience, and connect with the massive party that’ll be literally going on immediately outside of our front door.

However, with just over two weeks before SXSWi kicks off, I am still questioning whether I really have time to immerse myself in the interactive experience. The economic climate right now has me thinking it’s more important to keep a focus on the bottom line at FG SQUARED.

But the show must go on! My team is doing our part by hosting an FG SQUARED SXSW party at Lucky Lounge on Sunday evening, March 15, and we have also pitched in sponsorship dollars for the Plutopia party hosted by EFF Austin and Social Web Strategies on Monday evening at Palmer Events Center, March 16. If you are in town, please come by and enjoy our fine spirits. I’ll be there enlisting guests to join us in this year’s Interactive Austin 2009 conference (#IA09 on Twitter) on Monday April 27 – just two months from now!

Interactive Austin 2009 is my passion right now. While the purpose of the conference is multifold, primarily the event becomes my annual effort to organize our community of interactive professionals to affect healthy economic development in Texas and for the FG SQUARED community of clients and partners. Please join me there!

I would especially enjoy seeing you at my Experience City panel session that makes up part of the afternoon leadership track. I am excited to be working together with a few of the emerging young leaders here locally, namely Bijoy Goswami (Bootstrap Austin) and Heather McKissick (Leadership Austin).

Here is an overview of my panel session with Bijoy and Heather:

Experience City – making Austin the hub for social media

In the Lone Star State’s unpretentious capital city, you’re likely to find more guitarists than gunslingers, but you will find the ten-gallon hats if you look hard enough.

It’s easy to see we are a city of many and varied scenes: vibrant communities around music, film, technology, academia, art, environmentalism, and countless others. Part of what makes Austin special is how open and accessible these scenes are. With minimal history or prior social capital, anyone can engage, all are welcome, and creating a new scene is as simple as properly directing one’s enthusiasm.

In this session, we’ll explore how the components of community, entrepreneurism, experience, and leadership combine to create scenes and experiences — including an exploration of Austin’s Interactive Scene. What are its unique attributes, and who is leading the charge around making the Interactive Scene in Austin as vibrant as the others?

A graphic recorder will be present to Mind Map the freeform open discussion. Mind Mapping contributes to a more transparent discussion structure and stimulates interaction between (and among) panel and audience participants.

Although this only the second year for the conference, we are planning for a sell out, so get your tickets now. Once you buy a ticket you will be eligible to participate in a variety on IA09 social media contests going on prior to the show. Full details will be released on Twitter in the coming few weeks.

BUY A TICKET TODAY!

Tags: #IA09, 2009, Aii, Austin Interactive Initiative, Bootstrap Austin, EFF Austin, Leadership Austin, Plutopia, Social Web Strategies, sxsw
Posted in Squared Root | 5 Comments »

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