Magic and Mashcon

Mickey and Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable

This past weekend I had the fantastic opportunity to attend the Mashable Connect 2011 conference at Walt Disney World.  The brightest minds in the social media gathered to network, learn from one another, and definitely have a lot of fun for two full days.

There were so many takeaways from the speakers, that I hardly know where to begin.  One of the very best speakers was Craig Engler, the general manager and senior vice president of Syfy Digital.  This piece from Sarah Skerik is a great summary of Craig's best points.  I loved learning about how he has refined his Twitter communication strategy over time.  It is a great testament to the need for adaptation in the social media world.

#Mashcon was a great event.  I am so blessed to work for a university that places a high priority on professional development and lifelong learning for its faculty.  Over the next several weeks I know I will continue to process all I learned and be even more amazed that I was able to participate.

Blogs Where You Least Expect Them

I'm getting ready for a business trip this week.  It will be my first time flying with my Nook color.  I was curious how the screening rules applied for the e-readers so I did a quick Google.  My search led me here - the TSA has a blog!

Actually, it makes sense.  The TSA is perceived as distant and adversarial.  Trying to connect with travelers on a personal level takes away some of the "us vs them" mentality.  However, one quick perusal of the comments section on the e-reader post makes it clear the some people don't perceive the blog as genuine.  More proof that the TSA is a brand, not just a government agency, and subject to the same rules as all others--be genuine, be consistent.

Having representatives from the TSA open up and share information is a step in the right direction.  However, until all TSA representatives demonstrate compassion, understanding, and a genuine desire to help and protect travelers, all other efforts to do so in social media and elsewhere will ring hollow.

A Big Social Media Event

It's not often the President schedules a press conference late on Sunday evening.  I wondered but dismissed it.  Then I started watching my Twitter feed.

What an amazing chain of events unfolded--Osama Bin Laden dead. 

I saw one person say that they'll remember where they were when they heard the news of Osama Bin Laden's death - they were on Twitter.  I can heartily concur.  This is the first big event where I heard the news via Twitter and watched details unfold little by little. 

What occurred to me in watching the various posts was how organic the whole thing was.  We've talked in class about some big social media events like the Super Bowl and the Oscars, but you don't really see the power of this tool until events like today.

What an amazing night!