Internet Geek Girl

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The third annual Internet Week has finally arrived in New York City with over 150 events scheduled between June 7 -14. The week-long festival will take place at the new Internet Week headquarters at Chelsea’s Metropolitan Pavilion and at many other locations around the city, including the Times Center, NYU and The Knitting Factory. The first-ever Internet Week New York headquarters will showcase technology demos, art exhibits, panel discussions, product launches, lounge spaces and many other activities. The headquarters is hosted by presenting sponsor Yahoo! and official sponsors HP, PepsiCo, Microsoft Expression Studio, IAC, Southwest Airlines and Aquent.

“There is a great sense of excitement, optimism, and energy in the New York community right now and that’s reflected in the line-up for this year’s Internet Week New York,” said David-Michel Davies, chairman, Internet Week New York. “The festival is an amazing opportunity to meet the innovators behind NYC’s industry resurgence, share ideas, and find out where the Internet might be taking us next.”

Internet Week has a wide variety of events planned from educational to celebratory. One of the best celebrations you don’t want to miss is the TechSet party sponsored by PepsiCo on Wednesday, June 9 from 8 – 11 pm at the Social Bar.

Some of my other ‘Hot List’ events include:

• HP News Conference, 6/7 from 9:00 – 11:00 am
• Yahoo! PROVOKE Summit, 6/7 from 3:00 – 6:30 pm
• Mashable Media Summit 2010 in Partnership w/ CNN, 6/8 from 8:30 am – 6:30 pm
• The #Promise, 6/10 from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
• SMAC Cocktail Party at the Norwood Club, 6/10 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm
• The Webby Awards, 6/14 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm

I’ve seen this event grow and develop over the last three years. The addition of “HQ” is an awesome development for 2010. I am excited about the future growth opportunity for this crowd sourced “conference” as well as Tech in NY in general.

See you around town!

The other day while surfing around on search.twitter.com for #sxsw content I came across and a tweet by Jay Wilkinson regarding his request for Insider Tips for first-timers at South by Southwest. I love SXSW; I love sharing my past experiences and my passion for the city of Austin, Texas. Jay – sorry I’m a day or so late, but hopefully these will help you out. Please share with other first-timers and let them know, we are so happy you are here.

In no particular order, here are my recommendations:

• Don’t be put off if when you get here you feel like it’s your first day of school in a new town. SXSW is an occasion when many good friends re-connect. Sometimes to an newcomer it feels clique-y at first. Just remember that these are the friendliest bunch of digital marketers out there and do not be shy to strike up a conversation. Connect – that is the golden rule of SXSW.

• Hang out in the (3rd Annual) Blogger’s Lounge. Ok, full disclosure here, I manage the Blogger’s Lounge, which is sponsored by our client, Windows Phone. I will be there for a good chunk of the day (and I’d greatly appreciate you coming by and introducing yourself).  But, besides meeting me and my TechSet business partner Brian Solis, I promise you will learn something; meet someone who can help you grow your business; and/or find out about some happening or event that ends up being very meaningful to you.We have Tweet Ups scheduled for every day from 4 – 6 pm (with beer and wine). Did I mention that we provide refreshments as well? Also featured: a Rock Band set up, a content creation corner and the Bing Photo Booth.  That’s all great fun but ultimately it’s about the people.  They will make a difference in your experience at this show and most likely make a difference in your life.  Trust me.

• There are a lot of parties every night.  Sometimes you’ll have to stand on line, but you can usually find one that is less crowded. Since you’re the inspiration for my post, I hereby officially put Jay on the TechSet Party VIP list). DM me and I’ll give you instructions on whom to email for details. Remember – it’s all about stamina this week, so pace yourself.

• Do not leave Austin without going to Guero’s and Allen’s Boots (even if you have to take a cab to South Congress. It’ll cost ya like $7 max). My recommendation is sign up for All Hat 2 (organized by the always awesome David Armano and Richard Binhammer). You’ll get to hit both on Sunday at Noon.

• Spend time in the Exhibit Hall this year: I’m going to.  Yes, Porter Novelli has a booth, but I am super impressed by the growth of this area of the show. In previous years, it’s hasn’t really been a big draw but this year it’s hot.  In the last week, I’ve found out the my good pal Hugh Macleod will have a booth there. So will UK Trade and Investment (a delegation of top creative types and geeks from all over the UK with the largest contingent hailing from the West Midlands Region). FYI – I’m on a plane with Jonathan, the lead dude, who is telling me all about some super cool efforts they are launching globally. You can bet that I’ll be there scanning the scene.

• Make sure you are following a few key people on twitter: @stephagresta, @briansolis, @gapingvoid, @missrogue, @pistachio @guykawasaki @richardatDell @debs @garyvee @mashable @queenofspain @scobleizer are a must but there are lots of good folks tweeting about the week.

• Utilize Plancast. They’ve done a great job this year with their “non-official” Austin site. You will find a lot of info you need there about the cool events and things to do and see.

• Utilize #sxsw all day long.  I think you know what this is, but for those that don’t the hashtag that aggregates all things at the conference. You’ll find whatever you’re looking for there.

• Do a tequila shot at the Iron Cactus.  I’m not a big fan of shots – in fact – rarely do them. But I save up all year to imbibe at the Iron Cactus tequila bar. The selection is amazing. This town is like Napa for Tequila. Remember, I said 1 shot, not 4. Don’t come crying to me if you get sick.

• Ladies (and gentleman of course) – If you are looking for a place to help with all your beauty needs, I highly recommend Joie de Vie. Tell them Stephanie sent you. I’ve been going there for years and they always make me look pretty for the pictures.

• Try to get in a little exercise along the river. Every year I bring my work out gear and I really try to get some time in the gym (as I do on all business trips). The late nights make it a bit difficult, but this year I’m going to try harder.  I’m planning a wedding after all. From what I hear, the weather is going to rock – so bring sneakers and get outside! BTW – it might even be swimming weather so pick up a suit and dive in.

• Buy a T-shirt or sweatshirt or some really cool Texan piece of clothing. I do every year.   The company that manages the “official clothing” booth in the lobby is run by some pretty cool peeps.  And every year the shirts are a work of art.  I bought some pretty amazing red Cowboy boots at Allen’s 2 years ago. It might be time to splurge again.

• Despite all the fast-paced energy and chaos – build your community online and off. When you meet folks, take the time to follow them on Twitter and Facebook.  Get to know them a bit. It’s a busy week but it will enrich your experience 10-fold.

• Go to the keynotes.  Ya never what will happen. Of course you should hit a session or too as well.

MOST IMPORTANTLY

• Do some good while you’re here. Building upon Porter Novelli’s efforts in the area of social media for social good, we’ve launched CheckinForCharity.com. Starting Friday 3/12/10 at 9:00 CT, every time you Check-in on Foursquare in Austin or use #sxswHaiti on Twitter, Microsoft and PayPal will donate $0.25 toward Save the Children up to $15,000! So Check-in, tell your friends and tell your friends’ friends. As usual, the more the merrier and this time, the more the healthier.

Ok – I hope that helps.

Make sure you also read the First-Timers Guide on the official SXSW site.  It’s an excellent list, especially the part about wearing comfortable shoes.  I will of course, inevitably ignore that advice and regret it.

Have a great few days. And make sure you get some sleep each night. You’ll need it.

Cheers,
Stephanie

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted here at InternetGeekGirl. It’s been a busy few months and my creative energy has been focused on building the social media practice at Porter Novelli. The good news is, that process has been going very well. We are bigger and better than ever. Check out the new hires that Porter Novelli has made, and a big win which I am particularly proud of.

2010 is the year of content! In addition to publishing a book, I’ll be increasing my regularity in blogging – not only on this blog, but the other blogs I contribute too and manage, including: Porter Novelli Intelligent Dialogue, UltimateRaceDay, and the newly launched (and not quite ready for prime time) StephanieAndChris.Us!

InternetGeekGirl is the place to learn all about my social media world and the many events I am lucky enough to attend and support.

To that end, I’m very proud to share the success of Social Media Week. More than 7,000 people and 150 individual organizations participated in the second annual Social Media Week, which took place between February 1st and February 5th simultaneously in New York City, Berlin, London, San Francisco, Toronto and Sao Paulo. The event was host to more than 200 events covering such topics as social media’s impact on health care, technology, higher education, politics, open design, crowdsourcing, social graph optimization, PR and brand communications.

Toby Daniels, executive director and founder of Social Media Week, had this to say:

“The breadth, depth and diversity of subjects that were tackled truly underscores the far-reaching impact that social media has on society. And the extraordinary increase in attendance indicates that we are really just beginning to tap the potential of this burgeoning communications medium.”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Toby and my other NYC tech pal, Steve Greenwood from Drop.io. Drop.io launched their first vertically focused product during Social Media Week – PressLift! Watch the video below and learn all about both.

Who’s ready for a long weekend with family, friends, and food? I certainly am!

As we use this holiday to celebrate gratitude, I also want to take the time out to acknowledge something I think we all take for granted – our earth!  The team at Porter Novelli is helping raise awareness and support for the upcoming Cop15 conference in Denmark where global leaders will meet to discuss climate change.  In recent years, climate change has been a pressing topic, but something that we’ve struggled to do anything about.  It’s time to change that!

As we give thanks this week, please take a moment to be thankful for our earth and help drive awareness around this important issue.   If you have a moment, please visit ispeakearth.com and feel free to:

• Add a Twibbon to your avatar http://twibbon.com/join/ispeakearth
• Go to i.speak.earth and Take Action via Facebook/Twitter/Email/AIM/Sign petition
• Add items to your blog/Twitter/Facebook like badges, avatars, backgrounds by clicking on “Spread The Word” at the bottom of the http://ispeakearth.com page

If we collectively show our support for this cause, we’ll be able to send a message to our global leaders that they must take action now.

Thanks for reading and I hope if you’re in the U.S. that you have safe, healthy, and happy holiday weekend!