Carrying this on from Twitter, where the @ symbols were threatening to take over the conversation. I'll do a summary of where we're at in a bit.
Paradise Circus » Paradise Forum » chat
SXSWi planning
(35 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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Thanks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Wouldn't it be great to invent a chat room that just let you log in with your twitter account? Reckon there's an idea there. Twitterooms?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Two separate (yet overlapping) interest groups. Musos and more pure digital/soc media folk. Probably fundable from different places.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Okay fundamental question. Why don't we all just go and buy tickets?
Posted 1 year ago # -
http://campfirenow.com/ is what we need, but it costs bucks for more than a few people.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Very brief overview of what was mentioned on Twitter today.
Reporting on what those who went in 2008 did with their experience, what they learned, how they applied it to their work, how they passed the knowledge on to others.
How best for those who go in 2009 to blog / record / etc their experience both at the time and after.
What we're (whoever "we're" turns out to be) hoping to achieve by sending people to SXSWi
Who should go.
Interest expressed from those involved in education and music. (Personal take - education is of interest to us (however "us" is defined!), music is somewhat problematic - this is SXSW Interactive we're talking about, not the Music bit.)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Another question. Those who went last time - If you couldn't got this time who, or what sort of who, would you send in your place?
Posted 1 year ago # -
My view.
I pitched this to Digital Central last year as a way of getting smart, connected people in Birmingham over to where the big ideas in digital media are talked about each year so they could bring them back and make significant stuff happen in digital media in Birmingham (and in the future the West Midlands).
Last year we had a very tough time deciding how we would decide on who to invite, and it came down to 'people who are working in digital media who have recently won an award for producing excellent work who have the capacity and interest to broadcast and spread what they learn in Texas to the digital media community in Birmingham'.
I think it went pretty well - Jo had some thoughts on this?
Posted 1 year ago # -
It was useful last year for me sitting here in brum to go: I'd like to you go to that talk and blog what you found out about, perhaps some kind of clear proper form / voting thing based on the schedule http://sxsw2008.sched.org/ where non-going people could vote discuss what what they wanted people over there to see.
Then if the stuff collected was tagged up all nice (blogs, twitters, vidoes) etc would be collected into into a single page about that 'event'
Posted 1 year ago # -
Nice. Easy to solve. Each item in the programme gets an easy to remember short tag.
I was also thinking that whereas last year we built the site on wordpress we should use something more sensible this year. http://stef.io/ is built on sweetcron, but probably easier just to knock something up in rails.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Giving it a nice clear UI will attract more non super geeks into voting / asking people to do stuff. Increase the amount of people activity and thus increase the usefulness of sending people over.
Posted 1 year ago # -
> Why don't we all just go and buy tickets?
Personally I couldn't afford to, or at least not the whole shebang of flights, hotel, not working for a week.
It was obviously very worthwhile for those that went last year, but the benefits to others are more difficult to measure. A lot of inspiration or knowledge are sure to have passed through by osmosis, but only to those who know (or have come into contact) with the guys who went.
The blog-tweet-etc savvy could have got that online, but the aggregation thing didn't really work for me. I'd be tempted to say that there needs to be a slightly more structured process of reporting/inspiring (although can you have structured inspiration). I dislike 'panels' and speeches, but some sort of event after could be part of that.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I found it really useful having everyone reporting back from SXSWi but I really wanted that knowledge to transfer over to the music industry side of things as well. It was as if the two sections of the conference were ringfenced and knowledge and fun from one was not able to spill from one side to the other. Which is one of the problems with the music industry at the moment, I guess: there's a reluctance to take on that sort of pioneering, adventuring spirit that the interactive side embraces.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Dubber - there's also the problem that SXSWi precedes SXSW and doesn't overlap, so we get on the flight and suddenly the amount of business that the mobile operators pull in from the twitter users drops significantly. I think Suzie Norton (Screen West Midlands) is already meeting up with Jonathan Webber (UKTI) to talk - perhaps we should suggest something?
Posted 1 year ago # -
> Why don't we all just go and buy tickets?
Tickets seemed pretty cheap (for a week or so of interactive joy), it was just getting there, hotel and taking a week off work which seemed to be the biggest problem.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yeah - I think that's a good idea Stef.
Obviously I have a stake in both sides of this particular equation (and in case someone's reading this that doesn't know me - I sort of do research, teaching and talking about music industries online). If there's a way I can be helpful here, let me know.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Pete's point that this trip is about the SXSWi and not really of the music part. I would have to agree, but other people have rightly noted that there are conferences undergoing throughout the music section of the festival albeit the major concentration on the live performances. I for one, own a music company and work freelance for other music companies. But I have more of an interest in the interactive side of the festival because you can't let technology get too far ahead of you. The music industry learned that the hard way.
Andrew also makes a good point as I did follow the coverage by the attendees last year but not an amazing amount was conveyed through the eyes of the potential with music through communities etc. I think people attending this year with their 'music hats' on would be very useful.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Loads to cover here. Bear in mind these are my thoughts and opinions from my personal perspective as someone who went last year with some specific ideas of why we were going and who has no say in who gets funded this time around.
1) The music issue. I think Joanna Geary is a useful example here. At the time she was more a journalist than a social media type but she had a keen interest in the emerging technologies (video streaming was probably the big one) and how it would affect her industry. If someone from the music industry is sent they should have a similar bias towards the stuff SXSWi covers in order to get the most out of it. The field in which they work is irrelevant - their passion for social media and internet stuff is where it's it. (see point 5)
2) Following on from this, SXSWi is, in effect, a trade convention for those in the Internet industries. It is not somewhere you send people to learn the basics. It's where you send people who are at the very least on their way to be being leaders in their field. I'd put Nick Lockey in this camp as (from what I saw, and I could be wrong) he was showing signs of developing some serious skills and knowledge in his area and SXSWi tipped him into developing that stuff further.
Personally SXSWi was essential in getting me where I am today as it contextualised my ideas, showed me which were stupid and which were achievable and made me feel part of an industry. Amongst many other things. In short, I was amongst a few thousand of my peers. We need to send people who will find the other attendees to be peers.
3) We need to increase the number of people from the WM who have had the SXSWi experience. This is essential if the Internet industry in the WM is to develop and mature. At the same time, those who have been before can act as guides for the "newbies". SXSWi is a daunting place and it took my a good couple of days to acclimatise. Some kind of buddy system, be it formal or otherwise, would be a good idea I feel.
4) When Stef put this opportunity to me last year I was determined that, for me at least, this wasn't just going to be a gravy train jolly on the tax payers expense. I felt it essential that if Birmingham had paid for us to go we have to bring something back. The problem was quantifying this. I don't think the "send me to a talk and I will liveblog it for you" thing worked that well as it was too specific. I found the most interesting things happened in the corridors and at the evening events meeting up with random people and having in depth discussions. The official events were, with some exceptions, irrelevant.
One example of this would be meeting Alex Hillman whose experiences with co-working were very inspiring and which I've directly passed on to the Moseley Exchange co-working project. This didn't come from a scheduled talk - it came from sitting on the floor by the lego and chatting.
But I do think there needs to be a sense that while personal development is essential, bringing something back home is also essential. In the last few months I think we've done this on various levels from the surgeries and cafes to the small scale things like talking to students and using what we've learned to help others. It helps that we're by definition involved in sharing environments so we do this sort of thing naturally.
5) I think the criteria for going to SXSWi should be as follows:
- You understand, and can explain to a novice, the majority of what's covered at SXSWi. In other words, you can hold your own in a room of Internet experts.
- This stuff gets you really excited. Really really excited. You can't help talking about it.
- You're a sharer, not a hoarder.
Again, my personal criteria. I have no say in what the criteria would actually be. But I think these three would guarantee both good personal development and the bringing home of the knowledge bacon.
6) As for funding, not my department, but as someone who's been before I'd be happy with a subsidy or even a loan.
Posted 1 year ago # -
RE Pete's criteria - well 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
It's looks like a fantastic opportunity. Hmm wonder if there's a press trip I can jump on the get in the vicinity... *Blagger's twinkle shines bright.*
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think you've pretty much summed it all up pete.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Pete and I have been in touch with Suzie Norton from Screen West Midlands and we're due to be meeting in the next couple of days. I'd really appreciate any ideas that we all have to bring up at that meeting.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I appreciate I'm often taking the mickey when it comes to this sort of thing, and for the most part my tongue is only halfway in my cheek, however I think it's only fair to say that reading what the Brummies who went to SXSWi last year contributed online was very, very helpful to the folks back home - Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we all early adaptors of Twitter as a direct consequence of their trip?
So, if there is to be another visit then some kind of framework (as outlined by Pete) can only help enhance things for all concerned. I look forward to learning by proxy.
However....I do have a point regarding the crossover between the music industry SXSW and SXSWi itself.
With my 'Music Industry' hat on, and from experience of MIDEM and similar (smaller) things, I have to say that there would be enough going on at SXSW itself to keep someone (horrendously) busy for the duration. You go to SXSW to hawk your wares, be that a label or an artist. That's a full-time, meet-n-greet sales and marketing job - In my opinion, a company or individual attempting to gain from both SXSW AND SXSWi at the same time would only experience diminishing returns.
I'd therefore suggest some kind of designated liasion between attendees of both events. Someone who understands both sides and can identify new opportunites for people there and (just as crucially) at home.
Please be aware that I'm not feathering my own nest here....I loathe conferences and frankly the idea of travelling to Americky with a large group of (relative) strangers fills me with a profound dread. I'd much rather be playing golf.
I therefore nominate Dubber to be that special person, if he wants the job. Pound-for-pound he's the smartest of the Brummie Computer Club bunch, and y'all know it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
..and I somehow appear to be an administrator.
If there is another admin reading, I reckon we should get that status revoked before I break this thingy.
Ta
CxPosted 1 year ago # -
Just to pick Craig up here on something
"In my opinion, a company or individual attempting to gain from both SXSW AND SXSWi at the same time would only experience diminishing returns."
They're actually on different dates mate, the SXSWi bit is before the music festival. If you've been to MIDEM before, it's the same thing with MIDEMnet, one is always before the other. fyi.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Perhaps have an idea here for you Stef, it's what I and a few other music peeps do every festival conference we go to. We would write a little report on all the people we meet, what they do, what they're looking for and the contact details on the business card or a scan of it. Distribute it to each other & it's a great way to get even more out it all, even if you don't meet some people, you may read they're looking for something you have or you need something they have. Works well in music e.g. a list of music supervisors for synchronisation. Not sure if you guys would find it a relevant method. Thought I'd throw the idea in there.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi Anthony,
Apologies, I wasn't being clear. I'm aware of the arrangements for both for MIDEM(net) and SWSW(i) and the events could be in different months or on the same day, my point is that a Brummie creative business - being almost certainly small - would only benefit from either event by planning and concentrating on one alone. This, however, would be a missed opportunity for the Music folks and I'm suggesting someone (Dubber) bridges the divide between the two events
Posted 1 year ago # -
As I'm guy who did the sending out of people last year:
The 2008 SXSWi trip was conceived not as a regional profile-raising exercise or even as a trading/exporting opportunity but as a 'raising our game' trip. My approach was that I saw many people in the public sector go on trips where the expectation on them was to come back inspired and with a hope that somehow they would disseminate to others and at the back-end we'd see change happen.In reality that rarely happens because most people who go on the trips don't have effective ways to disseminate. So Stef and I thought, what if we saw the SXSWi trip in the same way (send people to be inspired) but sent some bright sparks from the private sector instead who knew exactly how to disseminate to their peers (and wider).
I think we got the people mix spot on. Most came back and changed how they worked and what they worked on. It accelerated change within the networks they connect to and inspired others (me for a start) to make sure they got in on the continuing conversation (i.e. we became social media converts).
The West Midlands needs a SXSWi trip in 2009 more than it did in 2008. Many in the city (Clive Dutton said it most recently) expect the Digital media sector to weather the downturn pretty well. We won't without a continuation of the accelerated change we started last year. There's a stack of 4IP money to spend don't forget and that needs individuals to be dreaming up some world-class interactive media ideas. Sending some 4IP people (the applicants, not the purse-holders) to SXSWi would be a good start then maybe? Sending ones who "share naturally" (to quote Pete) makes even more sense.
Screen WM had some funds from AWM recently (£1.3m "to support digital screen media in the region") which should help fund this.
Oh, and somewhere in the long-term ambition stuff we should be trying to pitch Hello Digital as our own version of SXSWi but until that happens (5-10 years away?) good people need to go to good things in far away places.
Posted 1 year ago # -
nicklockey
Speaking as another SXSWM veteran, I think that the focus should be less on the five days in Texas and more on using the experience to create a legacy and a reference point that can continue to grow over the rest of the year based on the things people learn and the contacts that they make. Being thrown headlong into the SXSW fray for the first time was a truly overwhelming experience and it took a few days to find my feet as a newbie. I don't think I really understood the value of the experience until the days, weeks and months after the conference.
The delegate-by-proxy idea was really nice in theory but in practice, it was impossible to find time during the conference to effectively feed back on the stuff I was learning. Things needed time to percolate in order to make sense of them and to assess their value. Also, as the schedule was so packed that finding time to do anything but twitter was pretty damn hard! Had we have got inundated with more seminar requests from our followers back home I think it would have been a tough call between doing our duty to Brum and actually seeking out the stuff that got us professionally excited about going to SXSWi in the first place.
That said, the stuff that I learned in those five short days was enough to blow my mind for the next 12 months and it truly transformed the way I approached my job. As I said on Twittter, the ripple effect from this was brilliant and, wherever possible I have tried to pass on what I learned to colleagues, friends, students, trainees, associates, panel audiences, etc. However, as John Bounds points out above, personal osmosis can only get you so far.
What I really wanted then was a place that I could store and publish the things I found as and when their value became apparent, usually long after the SXSWi experience was over. Sure, I could blog it all but that's only good for the stuff that I recognise as valuable and, in reality, the things that have proved most useful to the people I've encountered has been the stuff I didn't even realise I knew. For instance I've been finding that PR people, theatre people, publishing people, design people and more have all benefited from the things I soaked up from a TV-person perspective, yet I never would have sought them out to pass on what I knew and they probably wouldn't have approached me to learn it.
I think we need to create a simple wiki or something where everybody back home (and the delegates that go) can, in advance of the conference, create questions they want answering, topics they want investigating, resources they need to find or types of people they need to contact. Hell, why not even a techie glossary that can stop some of us newcomers feeling so bewildered when we brave the strange new world of social media for the first time? Throughout the conference and long after its done, anyone, not just the SXSWM crew, should be free to fill in the blanks, share their insight and experience, pool contacts and post new subjects to investigate.
I know to a certain extent "Who Needs The Sea" is trying to do this but frankly, it doesn't seem particularly compelling so far and I'd rather just have a bunch of really useful stuff under clear headings and themes that I can dip into when I need it. I found this wiki the other day (admittedly a book tie-in) but I think it is a good example of what I'm on about http://tinyurl.com/68soaf
But instead of thinking of this as a great online resource for SXSWM, I think we should see SXSWM as a great resource for populating this incredible bank of knowledge instead. 4IP is an amazing opportunity for the Midlands to make its mark on the digital media landscape so lets all pool our collective knowledge as a region and move forward together.
SXSWM delegates have an extraordinarily opportunity to learn about the cutting edge of digital media and an amazing chance to use that knowledge to help foster opportunities, prosperity and innovation in their home city. Let's make it as easy and painless as possible for digital media-savvy Midlanders to get their expertise to the people who can really benefit from it most – their peers.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi all, coming to this a bit late and it seems like lots of sensible suggestions have already been made. Tom's suggestion of providing some opportunity for non-attendees to flag items on the schedule in advance makes a lot of sense to me. The coverage last year was great but I'd assume made less engaging for those who had no idea in the the first instance what SXSW was and therefore what they should be asking those who went to report back on. The ability to start the conversation around the schedule in advance might go some way to solving this. Similarly it might provide a good signpost to what mix of people should be going/who should be assigned to what talks etc.
Second, I'd suggest that it might be a useful exercise to look in to setting some rough overarching questions/briefs that people who go could be looking at stuff through. It sounds to me like a really easy place to get lost in and perhaps having some questions to solve/contribute too in advance might help provide some guidance for the conversations we want to have when people return. Not sure what these could be, but broad things like 'how can Birmingham charities use x', 'what can schools get out of SXSW', 'what should Birmingham graduates be looking at from SXSW 08' etc etc might help provide a useful catalyst for grouping content and also help open a dialogue with people around town who wouldn't know this was going on if they aren't on the usual twitter/social media channels. Not sure how possible it'd be but maybe there's an opportunity to run an idiots guide to SXSW and the role it could play in advance somewhere like the B'ham Post? A one off feature in the paper, or online, would be one way of getting the word out that people are going and fielding input from an audience that wouldn't otherwise hear it. That balls in Jos court now!!...
Posted 1 year ago #
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