Social Media B2B Founders Propose SXSW Panels
Fri, Aug 13, 2010
It is the time of year when social media speakers pitch their ideas to the community and beg for votes so they can speak at South by Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSW). As conference organizers determine which panels make the cut, 30% of the consideration is based on community voting and commenting. Kipp and I appreciate your support for this site, and we hope you will support our topics for the 2011 edition of this conference.
We plan on attending the conference whether we get the opportunity to speak or not, and we plan to conduct interviews and provide site visitors with content related to the B2B social media space.
You need to create an account to vote, and voting closes on Friday, August 27, 2010 at 11:59pm CDT.
Kipp’s Topic
Curation Is King and Content Is Its Bitch
Never in the history of the world has more free information and data been public. Conversely, all of this data has created more noise for information consumers, causing a need for information consolidation. This means that although original content is still important, the overflow of it has made curation the most important information related activity on the web. Business and individuals who want to build credibility and reach online must become master curators of information. Through quality curation they can become the pulse of an industry and the leader of a tribe.
Vote for Kipp’s Topic
Jeff’s Topic
Everything You Know About Social Media is Wrong
Seemingly every day new statistics are released about the adoption and success of social media. Many of these studies suffer from small sample sizes, niche audiences and online data gathering methods that prevent these studies from being applied broadly. Through case studies, best practices and relevant data, we will examine the real value of social media in a variety of companies, including ones where it does not work. By understanding the true value of social media, rather than headline-driven studies, session attendees will leave with a better understanding of how social media can help their businesses succeed and thrive in the changing online landscape.
Vote for Jeff’s Topic
Thanks again for all your support on this site, and if either (or both) of these topics interest you, please vote for them and leave comments. With over 2300 submissions, community support of a topic is important to SXSW organizers.
Jeffrey L. Cohen is the Managing Editor of SocialMediaB2B.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter at @jeffreylcohen.
Tags: SXSW
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I only got as far as the title “Curation is King, and Content is its Bitch.”
Why…did…you…have…to…go…there?
As many people as you attract with this style, that’s how many people you will also turn off from your message.
There’s this unfortunate pattern I observe among many (notable) people who blog, present, or otherwise opine about social media. The potty-mouth…the shock factor…the never-ending SNARK…the zingers…the put-downs…the hipper than thou ‘tude. It’s clubby and attention-getting and probably considered clever by some. But where is your message in all that?
I’ve paid for a few social media conferences in the past where I saw a lot of this and it really irritated me, as a business person, and made me feel like I had wasted my money.
What happened to class and style in communication? Or just respect for your subscribers and greater audience?
Haven’t we moved beyond this? We can talk about the value and uses of social media — and we can be informal and conversational — while keeping in mind that we are in business for a reason.
Many business people I talk to are intimidated or even unimpressed by the idea of using social media partly because when they DO attend conferences, this is the kind of attitude they encounter. And it’s such a turn-off, and it appears so unprofessional to them, they dismiss the message.
No one is saying you have to win e a popularity contest or be someone you are not. All you have to be is commonly professional, especially if you are presenting messages about effective communication.
The style: it is not welcoming. It is not understanding. It is not approachable. It is not accommodating. It is not friendly. And you need to be all these things if you are going to teach anyone (particularly potential clients) anything. PARTICULARLY anything about communication, or social media. I certainly wouldn’t feel like asking you a question about social media if I needed to, because I wouldn’t know what to expect; if you’d be helpful to me or if you’d get sarcastic.
If my comment seems like an over-reaction, just keep in mind that it’s not a response just to the title of your presentation (which I really don’t like, if you haven’t guessed) but to a whole pervasive attitude that I see not just in this example, but among so many other social media professionals.
Reconsider!
Mary:
My first reaction to your comment was, “Dude! That’s my friend Kipp you are attacking. Back off.” Then I took a deep breath, pounded some iced coffee, took a lap around my house (I work from home), and re-read.
I think you have some excellent points. Really good points.
I guess I didn’t think twice about the title as I know Kipp personally. I’ve had beers with him. I’ve met his wife. Kipp is not only a good guy, but super sharp. I voted for him based on those facts. That being said, I also believe that it’s all about perception. If this title turned you off, offended you in any way, well – that’s bad. I’m not suggesting that it’s the *wrong* title, but I agree that it’s worth the conversation.
Thanks for being bold enough to comment constructively.
Kipp, my friend, you are up!
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
Mary,
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate the feedback. I am sorry you feel the way you do about the title of my panel. The title is not meant to be offensive. Instead it is meant to be an example of why the subject of the panel is important.
In an online marketplace filled with boring content and bad information, what does it take to stick out? Creating relevancy and value is now more important than ever before. The title was meant simply to bring attention to this issue. It is not about snark or shock.
I really appreciate your comment!
DJ – You rock! Thanks for your vote!
Yes, Kipp, that’s true. But isn’t it the snark and shock that gets attention in these times? Getting attention was your intention. The question is HOW to do that without using snark or shock, which as Mary demonstrated, is the FIRST impression.
I’ll admit that I thought the same. I wasn’t expecting that on a more professional B2B forum. However, I do understand that this has become the new social media “standard” blazed my social media “rockstars” who get by “being themselves” (however snarky that may be) and still being paid top dollar by huge companies for their services.
It’s a catch-22. Be professional and risk getting unnoticed or add a little “pizazz” to get attention. It’s a good question/discussion topic – How to get attention in these overly-stimulated times without being crass, snarky or very Paris Hilton-like?