Update – ok. It’s really for SXSW 2013. Not changing the link, since it’s already been tweeted out. Hee. Maybe I should write a post on proofreading? 
Have you ever thought about attending SXSW Interactive (March 8-12, 2013)? It’s not a librarian conference, though a growing number of librarians have been going the last few years.
But it IS a great technology and emerging trendsconference, and usually has some really big names in the tech world presenting on a ton of topics – everything from monetizing blogs to how to use social tools for businesses, to the future of the web.
It’s a really good learning and networking opportunity … which is why I want to present there! SXSW has a unique way of figuring out who presents – they let their community vote on the potential topics, using the SXSW PanelPicker.
This year, one of the potential sessions includes me, Michael Porter, and Amy Buckland. Michael and Amy presented at SXSW last year, so here’s hoping! Here’s what we plan to talk about:
Title: We build online communities. Really, we do.
Description:
The concept of an online community means more to libraries than simply having a chatroom and a blog for folks on which to comment. It involves making resources freely available, teaching our communities how to access these resources, and getting local community members to interact and work together in ways no other civic institution can.
Be it digital collection or ask-a-librarian, libraries have been building online communities since before we were “supposed to be” online. In most cases, our technology is not particularly cutting-edge, and our SEO tactics are sometimes lacking, yet our communities love and use our online resources and want more.
Even with the unique success stories we have there is room for you to help libraries build community and succeed, especially as technology evolves and makes new services and outreach possible. Hear about how libraries made it online, and help us figure out how we can keep making it better in the future.
Here’s what I’d LOVE for you to do – vote for our session! You’ll need to set up an account to do it (it’s easy to do). We really want to see more librarians at SXSW Interactive. We have some really good insight into user communities and content trends that the business world simply doesn’t have. So this is just one way to get librarians and our unique knowledge out into the greater world.
So please vote us in!
Have you ever attended the Handheld librarian online conference? I have, and have enjoyed them – they’re usually full of great ideas on using technology, mobile tools, etc.
I am one of the presenters at next week’s Handheld Librarian 7 (it’s being held on August 15-16)! I’m giving the last presentation of the day on Wednesday – here’s what I’ll be talking about:
Title: Face2Face: Using Social Media Tools to Create Great Customer Connections
Description: The average library or organization has yet to embrace emerging social tools. In fact, many haven’t even started. Yes, they have a website. But the content is mostly ABOUT the organization – there’s no face 2 face engagement between customers and the organization. Social tools like Facebook or Twitter? Relatively non-existent. If they DO exist, they are used primarily as one-way broadcast mediums. Not as a way to connect with and deepen relationships with customers.
What are these organizations missing? Real, online connections with their customers. In this presentation, David explains how online engagement works, and provides practical ways to start and sustain conversations with customers.
Other speakers include Earnestine Adeyemon, Robin Ashford, Jason A. Clark, Bohyun Kim, Breanne A. Kirsch, John Larson, Chad Mairn, Willie Miller, Mary Minow, Iman Moradi, Dawn Nelson, Ken Petri, and Sue Polanka. Ellyssa Kroski and Lee Rainie are both keynote speakers. Find out more about the sessions/speakers on the HHL Presenters page.
It’s a great conference, and there’s no travel involved! If you’re interested, make sure to register now.
I went to Blogword Expo about a month ago, and attended a couple of sessions put on by “Internet Famous” people. Their blogs are pretty well-known, their books are at Barnes & Noble, and they speak at conferences. A lot.
Guess what? Some of them were really bad presenters. As I was thinking about why this was, I came up with a few things to do / not to do when presenting … even if you think you are Mr. or Ms. Popular in whatever speaker circuit you frequent. Here they are:
Inside jokes? Don’t use them. One guy took the first five minutes of his talk to pass inside jokes to “his crowd” … which seemed to consist of a few buddies sitting on the front row. This was in a room of about 200 people. So there were about 5-10 people in on the joke. The other 190 of us? Not so much.
Inside jokes can be fun – if you bring everyone else inside with you. Use the joke as a point in your talk, and surround it with the full story. That way, everyone is in on the fun, you can tell your joke, and “your crowd” will still enjoy it too. I actually saw another speaker do that – he gave the background info, then used a person or two as an example, and it worked really well. Inside joke success.
Always give an introduction. You are not that popular. I’ve heard this from a speaker more than once – “You all know me, so I’m going to skip the introduction.” Guess what? We don’t all know you. The guy who did this at Blogworld Expo has a book out, and his blog is very popular. But I didn’t know who he was – never heard of the book or the blog, never attended any of his presentations before. I spent the next five minutes hunting down his blog instead of listening.
Yes, you know some of the people in the room. Yes, you know all the other speakers at the conference. Give at least a brief introduction anyway. At the conferences I regularly attend, the majority of people attending the sessions aren’t “regulars.” It’s either their first time at the conference, or they can only attend once every few years. So chances are, you are new to them. So make a quick introduction.
I’m too cool for slides. Same guy at Blogword Expo actually said this – “I’m too cool for slides.” Sure, Powerpoint presentations can be sorta boring if done poorly, and they aren’t always needed. But honestly – most of the time, if you are talking about the geek stuff I go to conferences for (technology, blogs, marketing, social media, etc), slides help drive home your point. You can SHOW that Twitter conversation. You can SHOW those Facebook Page stats. You can SHOW how your new-fangled technology site works.
Or, take a clue from the emerging web, which is getting more visual every day (i.e., Instagram, Viddy, Pinterest, etc). Your speech is good. Your speech, plus something to look at besides your head, is even better. Especially if the slides compliment the point you’re trying to make.
Prepare. At least the day before. One of the keynote speakers said he was working on his talk that morning in the cab ride to the convention center. And you could tell. The talk had some fine points, and the speaker knew his material, but he also stumbled quite a bit through the points he was trying to make. A little more practice and preparation would have done wonders for his talk.
So, you know. Get your slides done before you get to the conference. Actually run through the presentation once (with a timer). Preparation and practice are boring, but if you do the work, it will definitely pay off “on the stage.”
Your turn. What else should be here?
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