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At South by Southwest 2011

3/12/2011 By Brandon 1 Comment

I’m in Austin, Texas for my fourth SxSW (South by Southwest) Interactive conference. This year I am not speaking, but am here on a press pass doing some interviews and covering the event for the SitePoint Tribune newsletter and my blogs.

I’m looking forward to the interviews, panels, and parties. If you’re at SxSW, find me on Twitter @beley and add me as a friend on Foursquare and Gowalla. I have very few scheduled appointments or panels, so if you want to grab coffee or a drink, just send me a message!

Filed Under: Technology, Web Development Tagged With: , , ,

Please Vote For Me to Speak at SxSW 2011

8/11/2010 By Brandon Leave a Comment

I’ve submitted to speak at the 2011 South By Southwest conference. My panel, Luck is a Four-Letter Word is about being proactive instead of sitting back and waiting for things to happen. It’s about seizing opportunities.

But it’s more than just a motivational self-help speech. Over the years, I’ve had some amazing opportunities… and it had nothing to do with “luck.” I’ve also, like everyone, had some misfortunes from time to time. But although we don’t have complete control over what happens to us in life, we do control how we handle those situations.

My session is all about how to watch out for opportunities, and when there aren’t any, how to make them. It’s practical advice on how to move from waiting for good things to happen to taking your life by the horns.

Please consider voting for my talk at the SxSW 2011 Panel Picker.

If you think it’s a good idea and want to vote for me, here’s how. It will take at most 5 minutes of your time:

Filed Under: Speaking Tagged With: ,

My Massive SxSW 2010 Recap

3/21/2010 By Brandon 4 Comments

South by Southwest Interactive isn’t just a conference. It’s “Spring Break for geeks.” That may have started as a joke, but it couldn’t be closer to the truth. Every year, thousands and thousands of web designers, programmers, gamers, bloggers and online marketers come together for what is most probably the largest technology conference of its kind.

The conference is huge, the parties are over the top, the venue is amazing (who doesn’t love Austin?) and the people are what it’s all about.

This was the first year I was speaking at SxSWi, I had a book reading for Online Marketing Inside Out on Saturday, March 13 at 11 AM (well, a little later because the previous speaker ran into my time slot). So I was incredibly excited about going this year, but decided to take a slightly different approach.

Instead of trying to go to a lot of panels and sessions, and trying to hit all the big parties, I would just take it as it came. The last two years at SxSW seemed to fly by so quickly and it seemed like I never had time to just sit down and enjoy the company of friends or really connect with people. This year I was determined to really make the most of it.

So what follows is a daily recap of my SxSW experience (with many thanks to Foursquare for the helpful history tool!). Be forewarned… it’s long and incredibly detailed. If you’d rather skip all the minute details and just read my takeaways, you can jump to the conclusion. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Growth & Leadership, Personal, Social Media, Speaking, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,

Speaking at SxSW

12/2/2009 By Brandon 1 Comment

SxSW 2010I was asked to do a book reading of Online Marketing Inside Out at South by Southwest (SxSW) Interactive conference in March, 2010. I won’t actually be reading from the book, but instead will give a short presentation around one of the topics covered.

I have wanted to speak at SxSW for several years, having been to the conference both in 2008 and 2009, so I’m very excited about the opportunity to both speak at one of the largest conferences in our industry and to get such an amazing chance to promote our book.

I just hope my coauthor Shayne Tilley can make it to Austin all the way from Australia. Not only would it be an excellent opportunity for us to promote the book together, but it would also be the first time I met him in person!

Filed Under: Online Marketing, Speaking Tagged With: ,

South by Southwest Panel/Session Submissions

8/17/2009 By Brandon 2 Comments

SxSWIt may seem like March, 2010 is a long time from now, but not for those of us hoping to speak at next year’s South by Southwest (SxSW) conference. Panel and session submissions were due last month, and the interactive 2010 SxSW Panel Picker went online today so people can vote on which of the 2,219 panel submissions should be selected.

Online voting amounts for 30% of the decision making process, with the advisory board having 40% and staff picks having 30%. Since online voting counts for so much of the decision, I’m asking everyone to take a look at these panel and session submissions and please vote “thumbs-up!”

Note: Even though my name isn’t on the Panel Picker website for each of these, I am a speaker on each of the panels below.

Marketing By Design: Practical Advice For Better Conversions

Great design is about getting visitors to take a desired action, whether that’s placing an order or clicking on an ad. Learn how to use proven marketing principles to increase conversions and ROI. I’ll discuss how to improve usability, navigation, calls to action, home page layout, error pages, & headlines.

How to Pitch Social Media to Your Clients

Odds are your clients have already asked about Social Media. They’ve heard about Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook and want to know how they can effectively use social media in their marketing strategies. We’ll discuss what questions to ask, how to charge, and how to pitch social media to your clients.

Other Panelists: Jason Falls, Principal at Social Media Explorer; Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs and Co-Author of “Trust Agents.”

Marketing and Online Communities: Oil and Water?

Online communities represent captive audiences, having conversations that you want your company to be a part of. But, communities are built upon trust and respect that is earned and are rightfully protective of their space. So, how do you connect with them? That’s what we’ll discuss.

Other Panelists: Patrick O’Keefe, Owner of iFroggy Network and Author of “Managing Online Forums”; Darren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book”Shayne Tilley, Marketing Manager at SitePoint and Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out.”

Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&!

Too often, individuals and businesses take advantage of someone else’s turf and excuse it as “shameless self promotion.” It’s not acceptable and it can lead to you being labeled a spammer or worse. In this panel, we’ll tell you how to promote yourself without turning others off.

Other Panelists: Patrick O’Keefe, Owner of iFroggy Network and Author of “Managing Online Forums“; Twanna A. Hines, Founder of Funky Brown Chick Corporation, freelance writer and blogger and Owner, FunkyBrownChick.comDarren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book”.

When Does the Conversation End and the Selling Begin?

Social media is now critical in the modern marketing mix. However the emergence of a social media corporate etiquette is creating real barriers between a conversation and direct sale. So how do you effectively transfer your conversations to a sale without risking your online reputation? That’s what will be answered.

Other Panelists: Patrick O’Keefe, Owner of iFroggy Network and Author of “Managing Online Forums”; Darren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book”Shayne Tilley, Marketing Manager at SitePoint and Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out.”

Filed Under: Online Marketing, Social Media, Speaking Tagged With: , , , , ,
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