For the past three days, I’ve met a lot of new faces and also had the opportunity to hang out with some more familiar ones that I don’t get to see as much as I’d like to while back in the bluegrass. Sessions have varied wildly in quality and substance, so I’m glad this overwhelming experience has been rescued entirely by the more casual encounters and conversations that happen as a result of simply showing up.
Some valuable lessons I’ve absorbed at SXSW so far:
- Among others, Henry Jenkins from MIT and Jason Fried from 37 signals encouraged us to fail forward. Nothing has to be perfect out of the gate. In fact, most things start small and improve with collaborative and iterative feedback cycles.
- Twitter is by far the best communications tool I’ve ever known. For the past few days I’ve used it to enable logistics, to broadcast noise, to filter noise, to break the ice, to LOL. Metcalfe’s law is in full effect here; critical mass achieved and then some.
- While freedom may cost a buck-0-5, it also means different things to different people. MySpace is beautiful because it enables relatively unbounded self-expression; MySpace is hideous because most people have “bad” taste.
- No amount of free alcohol can turn off the feeling of having a swarm of bees in my externally hyperstimulated yet strongly introverted personality.
- What wins ballgames? Defense.
- Playing with legos will never cease to be fun.
- What’s the difference between a revolution and a civil war? The perspectives and objectives of the winner.
- Standing in line with friends has been just as much fun or more fun than the parties.
Some unfortunate things I’ve observed at SXSW so far:
- Smartypants people that boast of their smartypantsness can be really #$%#$& annoying.
- Saying ^&*$, *$%^, @#$%, and ^&%@% makes you and what you have to say to an audience that much f*cking cooler
- When speakers say “social media isn’t a one-way conversation like me speaking to you right now” while hundreds twitter and/or liveblog commentary based on their every syllable, it makes them seem a bit out of the loop.
- Even the most independent of thinkers can be pattern-thinking members of a mob. it’s human nature; let’s accept it.
- “Intermediate” sessions were typically painfully pedantic.
- For a web-themed conference, there’s been an egregious waste of paper.
- Making fun of other people’s failures is a universally humorous exercise that seems to transcend any situation.
- Prevailing theme of many speakers: ‘Adapt to the changing rules of the game. Or die trying.’ I still don’t see too much deviation from consensus. I want to see others that zig when everyone else zags.
Some general observations and related experiences outside of the panels:
- Smorty71 is certifiably one of the best guitar hero players in the world. (video soon)
- I do not aspire to be an influencer or gain notoriety. If it were to happen I would only hope that it were as ephemeral as it were insignificant.
- Signal-to-noise ratios seem to vary by listener preferences.
- I absolutely love my Louisville peeps (@earwood @jasonfalls @melissaking @nikkikey @smorty71 [@richardmcinnis honorary]) and I don’t regret hanging with them for most of my time here.
SXSW has been an incredible and elucidating experience. It’s great to converse with so many like-minded people and have access to some of the greatest interactive / social media champions who are all doing their part to change the world as we know it. Each moment seems to yield value and interesting perspectives, and I enjoy immensely the energy and excitement that fuels the “revolution” in marketing and media.
I wonder though if it is truly a revolution or only a realization of the obvious: people talk, people listen, people form and share opinions. To me, the true power of social media is illustrated and proliferated at an accelerating rate thanks to the new tools and platforms that changing technology and pervasive self-publishing provide.
If I come back next year, perhaps I will share a lot more than I consume.
