SXSW Interactive Day 5: The Nerds Go Home

Interesting day today--it's the last day of the Interactive festival, the first day of the Music festival and St. Patrick's Day. Busy.

And somehow, I forgot that last tidbit and didn't pack anything green for the trip. I claimed that the green neckband on my festival pass counted. Lame, I know.

Lots of folks left yesterday, and even more today. Still plenty of people around, but the energy was considerable less frenetic. People are tired and more focused on the content today.

The Mediocre

1) Like many others I talked with, I'm a little disappointed that the content is uneven. Some panels are really good, in-depth and useful. Those are like an ice-cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer day.

2) Many panels have good speakers but just don't go deep enough into the material to be useful for the type of people at this conference. This is not a beginners conference. If you're here, it's because you're serious about interactive, gaming or social media.

The material should reflect the talent level of the people here. A lot of what I saw was pretty basic. I'll recap the 'winners' tomorrow. I've left feedback on the SXSW site for the other panels, so I don't feel a need to call anybody out in public. I'm sure there are a lot of backstories to some panels that I don't know about.

3) The worst is the bait-and-switch with panel titles, which is more common than it should be. I was in three sessions where the title was very provocative, but the moderators either never lived up to the title, or worse, asked a very specific question in the title and didn't answer it. Or led to the conclusion that the question is unanswerable right now.

Random conversations with folks indicated this was a more widespread problem than you would think. So, here's a note to anyone ever presenting at a conference:

If you've got the moxie to create a really provocative title for your panel, then BACK IT UP WITH A KICK-ASS SESSION.

But let's not be a hater. There were a LOT of really good things today.

The Good

1) Connections! I hung out with @BryanPerson quite a bit today and met a lot of people. Seems like Bryan knows everyone. We had breakfast with the @SouthwestAir emerging media team (including this red-headed leprachaun). They are doing some very cool things with social media and have a great culture there. I got a few good ideas from them. :-)

Bryan had a list of like, a gazillion people to meet during the 5 days of the conference, and at the end of today, he proudly showed me that he had met all but one. (note to self for next year: have a plan)

Bryan doesn't look like a schmoozer, but I tell you, he's got those Boy Scout good looks and is a charming guy. No wonder he won an award as one of the top 25 Social Media professionals in Texas this year. (not to mention he picked up the tab for breakfast, which makes him VERY socialble, in my book)

2) I also met @CarriBugbee who totally RAWKED THE HOUSE in her panel about being one of the 'voices' behind the Mad Men Twitter characters. (and I even got her autograph!) Didn't get to sing karaoke with her, though. Maybe next time.

3) Got my second free meal of the day meeting (I still take a starving-artist's delight at getting free meals, what can I say?) with @withoutayard who not only is a former Austin local with a LOT of knowledge of the music scene, but is also a great promoter for Toronto as a travel destination. It's now high on my list of places to visit.

4) Met too many other people in casual conversations to list. Random strangers seemed more accessible to chat with today. Lots of ruminating on the conference today, which I will summarize tomorrow. Bryan and I will be getting together to recap and brainstorm more on some cool takeaway ideas we had today.

We both found some inspiration during the conference, and suffice it to say that I learned a lot, had a good time and would definitely recommend others to come here.


5) And of course, I have to give a shout out to my house mate Bruce, his awesome dog Rosie, and Coco Ono, who became my cat away from home. It's been pretty cool living like a local away from the downtown party scene and not out of a hotel.

I'll be back, Austin. Thanks for a good time! :-)

SXSW Day 4- Austin Social

Day 4 started like every other day has so far--late. Time and I have not been very good friends this trip.

Since I think the point of an interactive conference is to...well...interact, I
spent the morning having coffee and chatting with my housemate Bruce. He does some work setting up eBay stores for small businesses and we had a really good strategy/brainstorm session on how he could help a particular mom & pop kayak shop use social media to develop an online community that might help grow their business.

Good stuff, and it was nice to connect. We've chatted a few times since I've been here, and I feel like I've made a new friend. We found each other via Craigslist--I'm renting a room in his house for $400 for the week, instead of the $200 per night that the hotels are charging.

Yippee for social networking. By the way--check out Jeremiah Owyang's blog on how connection is evolving. It's a look at how we're liable to connect on adventures like this in the near future.

Hive Mentality

I didn't mind missing some of the morning sessions--it's a bit of grind being inundated with so much information and buzz. One term being bandied about in social media circles these days is the 'hive' mentality, and that's really evident here.

Following the Twitter-stream of SXSW live and in the 'backchannels' of a conference is like tapping into one HUGE thought-stream.

(the backchannel is the unspoken conversation by the audience while the panel is going on. Often snarky, sometimes off-topic, it provides both a source of notes for the topic and a feeling of what people really think about the session, like passing notes in a classroom)

It's both fascinating and overwhelming--like a sci fi story where you can hear everyone's thoughts. Trends, patterns and organization forms out of all the chaos, but there is a lot of noise to filter too, and that process can be very mentally taxing.

One of the useful things about the hive mentality is that it can help crystallize and validate your own thoughts. It's nice to know that you're not the only one feeling something. My own feelings of being slightly overwhelmed and TOO immersed at SXSW were echoed by a check of the twitter-stream.

Well the sun came out today, and after a really good panel session on dealing with difficult clients (one of the best panels I've participated in this week), I decided to get away from the noise and explore Austin a bit.

@MarkWilliams Day Off



I started with a Mexican Martini at the Cedar Door and almost ended the day right there. A Mexican Martini is a margarita-flavored martini that arrives in a 16 oz glass. Since the place was slammed with customers, food service was very slow and I had time to nearly finish my drink before eating anything, sparing me the waste of food absorbing the alcohol entering my bloodstream.

An instant stress-reducer.

Texas Art and Culture

From there, I had intended to stumble to the Birth of Cool exhibit at the Blanton Art Museum, but my motor skills having mysteriously diminished at lunch, I wound up taking the cute 'Dillo (short for armadillo) trolley for just 50 cents crosstown.



Unfortunately, I didn't catch that the art museum was closed on Monday's, but it happened to be across the street from The Bob Bullock State Texas History Museum, which WAS open. Apparently, the good people of Texas only need art 6 days a week, but they'll talk about themselves any ol' time.

The BBSTHM was pretty cool. It's named after a former Texas state Lieutenant Governor, by the way. I've always wondered just what exactly a Lieutenant Governor does, and now I know. They build museums and name them after themselves.

I learned a lot of local history, like how Texans took the land from the native Indians, then Spain and later Mexico. Did you know that Texas used to be an independent Republic?

Texans are proud of their state and history, and I was pleasantly surprised that they were willing to display some not-so-proud momentos of their history, like this:

I spent a few hours in the museum--it's rather extensive and I was not able to see it all in that time. If you go, (and I recommend you do), plan on leaving at least 4 hours for the visit.

Local Austin

I was lucky that Bruce was willing to play tour guide and show me a little bit of the local scene away from the downtown area, and took me on a short hike to Mount Bonnell, the highest point in Austin. From there, we went to Zilker Park Disc Golf course (I didn't have any discs with me, but might try and play tomorrow morning) and Barton Springs.

Finished the evening up at the fabulous 'locals only' Magnolia Cafe with VERY tasty dinner of Jamacian jerk pork chops with collared greens and garlic mashed potatoes, topped off with local brew of Fireman's #4.

By this time it was 9 pm and I was gassed. Went home and finished off my pint of Blue Bell Chocolate and Cherry ice cream, which just might be the best ice cream in America. Really, it's that good.

One more day of SXW. Let's hope I can make it to the finish line!

SXSW Day 3: Random Moments of Beauty

In the midst of all the hyper-activity of SXSW, here are a few moments of sheer beauty that I've come across--little snapshots that existed only for a second or two and then vanished.

Tiny stolen moments in the cacophony that surrounds SXSW...little intimacies I wasn't supposed to see.

These are the ones that go in my treasure box.

1) The 30-something woman--a senior manager at a very large corporation, influential in her field and sought-after as an expert and speaker--who had dreams of being a professional dancer as a child. Attending an awards ceremony held in a ballet studio, gazing in the mirror and assuming first position, checking the curvature of her arms and the correct angle of her feet.

She subconsciously slips in a demi-plie; a respectful curtsy to the gods of Dance like she was trained to do many years ago. For the briefest moment, her eyes sparkled, her soul twirling and leaping with her dreams remembered and she became a little girl who loved to dance more than anything else in the world.

Then she laughed, and talked about something else. But she was still dancing on the inside.

2) Riding the bus, catching the eye of a very pretty transsexual heading for home after a night out. She gave me a smile, I smiled back and then she turned her head away and wouldn't look at me for the rest of the ride. Maybe a little fearful that I would uncover her secret under the harsh lights of the bus interior?

During the ride, I thought about her and how much courage she had--I wonder if I would have that much courage to be who I am in public, if 'who I am' is that far outside of the norm? Her hands gave her away--large, weathered hands with a bit of grease still under the cuticles. Man's hands, probably a mechanic.

When I left the bus, she finally looked at me again and gave me a flirtatious smile with a little toss of her hair, and looked away again shyly.

Just like a girl.

3) The middle-aged Latina waitress at the end of her shift in a still-busy Mexican restaurant late Sunday night. Harried, still serving tables and trying to finish her work and close out so she could go home, she would be occasionally be overcome by the music from the live salsa band and break out in fierce moments of dance once she got off the floor and was hidden from view in the waitress station.

Music so powerful, so ingrained in her soul, that even when tired and given the chance to rest, she danced.

4) A random connection that happened because of mistaken identity. Standing in the doorway of a room, waiting to leave for the day, a woman approaches me joyfully, with a smile and a big greeting. Then realizes I'm not who she thought I was. We laugh and chat to get over the awkwardness.

Turns out we have much in common professionally, and the person she was there to meet was someone that I wanted to meet too. In the midst of our 'professional' conversation, I mention that I came to the world of social media via the theater.

"Really?", she asked, eyes lighting up. She leaned in slightly towards me, and lowers her voice just a bit, as if she were to share a secret. "I'm a jazz singer." Her body seemed to relax a bit, lighter, like a heavy cloak had been removed from her shoulders.

We are all so much more than what we appear to be.

5) A recipient of an award recognizing work in the social media field, responds to the audience asking for a speech. Unplanned, unscripted, she fumbles a bit for words--she's not used to public speaking. "I don't want to be a rock star", she says. "We're in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and there are a lot of people out of work."

She pauses a moment, looking for eloquence. Her heart wants to speak, her mind struggles to find the right words to express the depth of her feeling, but she's uncomfortable at a microphone, there are lights shining on her and 75 people are looking at her, waiting for her to say something.

Somewhat awkwardly, she blurts, "We're in trouble, people. Let's help each other out." To rousing applause from the audience.

The words are always perfect when spoken from the heart.

This is the best of SXSW so far.

SXSW--When is Transparency TMI?

I got a great text message to my last blog post (SXSW Day 2) from someone who is very close to me who asked: "You are degrading your personal experience and knowledge...is this the kind of message you want to be sharing with the world?"

In an age where the greatest Olympic champion EVER can go from being a hero and a role model to a national joke in just a few weeks because of a photo posted on the web, that's a very good question.

When DOES transparency and accessibility become too much information?

It's a sage question because people DO check out your Facebook page before making hiring decisions. People have been fired for things on their Myspace or Facebook pages. The question shows a real savvy in this new social world that we can all be held accountable for our actions...and thoughts... to a greater degree than ever.

In my particular case, I don't mind being transparent and sharing my insecurity and uncertainty about immersion at SXSW Interactive because I think many of my clients (and others thinking of getting into social media) feel the same way. The use of socia technology and depth of inter-connectiveness IS confusing and scary if you're not a digital native, and I think I'm reflecting the same trepidation that many people feel.

I am one of them. Even if I'm the 'expert'--we're in this journey together.

Education and Experience

Two of my favorite quotes about education are:

a. "We teach best what we most need to learn."
b. "Education is the process of discovering what you already know."

The point is... I know what I know and my friend is trying to remind me of that. I'm also okay with sharing in public what I don't know, because it's real. Others (including clients) should takeaway that yeah, I'm uncertain about some of this stuff too, but I see the value and I dive in anyway.

What I Know

I've been gathering people together around shared passions and developing real-world communities for 20 years. I've been developing online communities for 10 years. I know what works there.

And, in my own personal history, I've also been a radio disc jockey. I've been interviewed on radio and television. I've worked in movies and television both in front of and behind the camera, so I get podcasting and video. (and understand that web video and cell phone video are NOT the same as film and tv)

I've also been on stage connecting with people in groups of 10 to 1,000 at a time. I've spent a LOT of time in chat rooms, discussion forums and blogging. None of these technologies or forms are new to me.

What IS new, is doing all of them, all at once, casually and easily. I'm used to production values and polish not speed of production and content delivery that prevails now.

The Lesson I'm Learning

Connie Benson (one of the folks whose style and message I really respect) posted a wonderful "How To Build Community 101" guide today, which was a wonderful reminder to me that the *tools* we use to build a community and connection may differ, but the process of connecting remains the same.

So yes, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed here at SXSW because there are so many people here who are fluent in using so many tools simultaneously and their presence is ubiquitous. You can't walk 20 feet around here without seeing someone podcasting, shoot a web video or twittering.

But knowing how to play many musical instruments doesn't make one a superior musician. Mozart couldn't play all of the instruments in his orchestra or sing, but he wrote some of the most amazing compositions and opera ever.

By blogging my uncertainties at SXSW, I share with my clients and anyone else who is trying to develop a social brand presence a lesson that I have to remind myself every so often:

Do what you know how to do.

Connect the way that you know how to connect...and experiment with the new forms too. Don't let the forms of media confuse you from making the actual connections that you're trying to make. Sure, what works to connect via a blog won't work with a video. The form dictates the style of the content--but not the connection itself. The focus is not "I must use this form (tool), but "what's the best way to create a connection with this person?"

It's about connecting with people, not tools.

And I never was one of the cool kids. I was one of the creative ones. That's okay with me.

The core question remains--what do you consider to be TMI? Am I sharing too much inapproriately?

SXSW Day 2

Day 2 of SXSW Interactive started off bad. In rapid succession--

I overslept because my iPhone, which doubles as my alarm clock, ran out of battery power during the night. (lesson: if it's plugged into the Mac and the Mac goes to sleep, the phone stops charging) So I started the day 2 hours later than intended.

Then, I plugged the phone in to charge, got ready to go, left the house and forgot the phone. And locked myself out. Walked up to the bus stop to catch a bus just in time for the session I wanted to go to and...

...I forgot that I had spent my bus change the night before and all I had was a $10 bill. Missed the bus. Hiked another mile to a 7-11. Caught the next bus just in time to miss the NEXT session I wanted to go to. A mighty fine start to the day.

The Good

1. People. I seem to make 1-2 really good connections per day. I talk with more than that, of course, but seem to really only *engage* 1-2. Today it was @carbody--she's a twenty-something social media specialist who woud best be described in anthropological terms as a 'digital native'.

It was a total pleasure sitting next to her in a session and watching her effortlessly listen to the speaker, twitter good notes recapping the discussion, quickly researching the profiles of people speaking, add 5-10 new followers on Twitter (and checking them out before doing so), listening and contributing to the conversation on the backchannel AND checking her email.

And she is FULLY engaged. We had a great conversation after the session, sharing stories, frustrations, common problems and brainstorming around working with clients. She is so fluent and intuitive in how she uses social media--it is a part of her being and her native language. Chatting with her was both delightful and informative for me.

2. Found Waterloo Records, which is something of an Austin landmark for being a cool, independent record store. Glad to contribute to the local economy and pick up some music by local artists.

3. Helped Bryan (our LiveWorld evangelist) score an interview on NPR tomorrow. Bryan is really very good at talking with people and interviewing others, but too nice a guy to toot his own horn. We were at the NPR/PBS party tonight talking with their social media director who was telling us about their upcoming interviews with social media experts and evangelists, so naturally I piped up and said "well, you should interview this guy right here!"

Bryan is the founder of Social Media Breakfasts that have now sprung up in something like 20+ cities across the US and has some street cred. They started chatting and arranging interviews with each other for tomorrow.

I make a good wingman. :-)

4) Nice opening address by Tony Hsieh of Zappos. Focus was on *happiness*. That everything we do, our ultimate goal is happiness, so why don't we just incorporate happiness into everything we do?

5) I helped steer a session that I was in back on to its original topic: "Why Gen Y Won't Friend Your Brand." (search #geny on http://search.twitter.com) (I have answers to that question that I think are better than what was presented in the session btw. If your brand sucks to Gen Y, they won't friend it. If it's relevant and engaging to them, they will. And not every brand is relevant, no matter how much you might want to sell to them. Which, by the way, is no different than trying to engage any other generation. But...I digress)

The Bad

1. The day started badly and I was grumpy for much of the day.

2. I'm a little overwhelmed by all of the activity at SXSW and underwhelmed by the actual content. It's AMAZING to see the level of connectivity going on by so many people. And...I get it. But on MY personal level, I don't really want that amount of connectivity and I'm not as fluent in as many realms as most of the people around me.

It's like traveling to another country where you know some of the language but aren't fluent. It's very tiring and draining to always try to translate and understand what is being said. My frustration here at SXSW is that I get what everyone says at the macro level--I understand on a deep, personal level how people connect and why.

In fact, I'm underwhelmed by the content--I haven't heard anyone say anything yet that I don't already know about social media, how it connects people, how to use it, etc. The only really useful gem I've picked up about how to engage Gen Y is to enable sharing personal information among peers, or "what can you tell me about my friends that I didn't already know?"

So I know what this stuff is all about, but I'm personally not podcasting, live streaming, twittering thru the sessions, chatting on the backchannel, emailing, texting friends and sharing every single little detail of SXSW as I go along. I'm not that fluent and I'm not sure I want to be--I wonder if I'm sharing too much or not enough or the right kind of info for the folks who aren't here.

I still think about the *quality* of content, and the shift really does seem to be towards quantity and letting the masses sort the wheat from the chaffe.

I'll have to let that last statement marinate a bit.

3) I'm at the epicenter of coolness at SXSW, and I'm not cool. Not compared to the other kids (and adults) here. And I don't know if I want to work that hard to be cool. Or whether I even COULD be.

I feel like I could have something to contribute, but don't have a mechanism. I came hear to learn, but the panels aren't teaching me anything yet. I learned more from sitting next to @carbody today than from anything anyone has said in 2.5 days.

I'm surprisingly out of my comfort zone here. This kind of reminds me of high school. :-)

And tell me...how many of you really enjoyed high school? Or were you one of the cool kids?

SXSW Day 1

Arrived in Austin on a cold, wet, windy day--all the locals apologize for the weather. I guess it was 80 degrees and sunny a few days ago and the forecast calls for nice weather to return over the weekend.

For now, the weather dissuades one from just walking around downtown Austin, so we're stuck indoors, which is okay cuz I want to get the vibe of SXSW Interactive and you've got to be immersed to get the feel, right?

First impressions--it's very well run event. Someone called it "Burning Man for tech geeks" and it's a little like that. No costumes, but a very large three ring circus that can be sensory overload at first glance. There's a LOT going on and it seems like you really need to be on top of your schedule here--no casual wandering around and just absorbing it.

The Good

1) I've met some interesting people so far. Ken from http://thepoint.com that has a startup that gives people a platform to connect local causes, philanthropy and activism. Talked about how to gather and activate community for offline actions--check their site out, they are doing some very righteous stuff there.

Also met Fred from Google apps--they are offering a cloud solution for businesses who don't want or can't afford to create their own IT department but might have sophisticated needs that goes beyond a small business using one computer to connect to the internet. I'll start work on a project developing a small business community when I return from SXSW, so meeting the Google folks will help me be a better resource for that community.

Had dinner with an Israeli filmmaker and we talked about marketing films/documentaries on both web and cell phone interface, and the strengths/weaknesses of those platforms, and how to utilize community and web video to support the more mainstream film & tv content. Fun brainstorm session.

Also met some folks from a local interactive agency and had a fascinating discussion on architecture, how space influences people and what that means for web design. Very esoteric and fun.

2) Texas BBQ ribs--lunch was so good (and filling!) that I didn't eat dinner.

3) My housing. I went on Craigslist and found a sublet with a local for $65 a night, instead of the $250 per night the hotels around the event are charging. I get a cool roommate (he likes to backpack to strange lands and poke around ruins) who gives me great local insight and hangouts, with a friendly dog and a cat who is as affectionate with me as my cat Cleo at home.

Plus good coffee in the morning.

4) Screen burn. They have a very cool, fun game center where you can go unwind, play some Wii, WOW, Guitar Hero and many other games. They've got a conference center decked out like a family game room for cool ambience. Will take pics tomorrow.

The Not So Good

1) Not getting into THREE sessions that I wanted to see because I was 2 minutes late and the events were full. I'm still at work while I'm here and was solving work-related problems which caused me to be a little late. So now I know to get my sessions early, but still. I paid $450 for my ticket and my expectation is that I can see the things I want to, even if it means standing room only.

2) Had an invite to the Social Media Club mixer tonight and there was a line of maybe 100 people when I got there and was told the event was already full and they would let people in one at a time, which essentially meant I wasn't going to get in.

I was there on time for that one AND I'm one of the few *paying* Professional members of Social Media Club, so I would have thought I could get in, but nooooooo.

Membership is supposed to have its privileges, but apparently not here.

3) Went to another party that seemed interesting--the Austin Museum of Digital Art was sponsoring a laptop DJ battle. 16 DJ's using only their laptop and a controller for mixing their best 3 minutes. The event started late and while the DJ's all had some good technical skills, no one was....uh....dancing.

When's the last time you were at a club with 300 or so of your new best friends with DJ's battling it out and no one was dancing? I gave it a good hour and a half, saw half the DJ's perform and didn't think it was going to get any better so I left.

Oh yeah...dunno if this is Texas or what...but the bars down here serve Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can. PBR is usually what you get when you don't want to spend the money on Miller where I come from, but I guess it's a premium beer down here.

That's it for now. Will report back tomorrow--I have a full slate of seminars and panels scheduled starting at 10 am.

...and I know that I can't be late!

5 Rants and 5 Raves About Twitter.

I had a great phone call last week with an old friend of mine who has been charged by her workplace to become their 'social media expert'. In the next couple of weeks, of course. She called asking for some help and insight.

Talking with my friend gave me the opportunity to talk frankly about this business, the tools available and to distill everything I knew to the essential. I had the chance to rant and rave over my view of the social media landscape from the vantage point of one who sees a LOT of social media strategies by major brands up close and personal. Some of whom who do it right, and many of them who don't.

Twitter...all the world is a-twitter about Twitter.

One of the first things she asked about was Twitter...and that core question that newcomers to Twitter always have--what is it good for?

Now, like many people, I have mixed emotions about Twitter. I spend a fair amount of time on it. I find it often amusing, sometimes useful, frequently addictive and occasionally infuriating. I'm part of the culture, part of the hype and...

...I'm still not sold on it, even though I embrace it as a tool and source of connectivity.

There's much that I like about Twitter, and more than a few things that I DON'T like about Twitter.

Rants: 5 Things I Don't Like About Twitter

1. Traditional media doing stories whenever someone 'mainstream' uses Twitter.

Like, it MUST be worthwhile if Barack Obama, Paris Hilton, Arnold Scharzenegger, Shaquille O'Neal and other celebrities are using it. If they're doing it, we must do it too.

It's not news that Barack Obama sends text messages. Or emails. Or uses the telephone. Ergo, it's not news if he Twitters. Which he doesn't, btw. Someone on his staff does it in his name.

2. Folks on Twitter who twitter about every time the traditional media does a story about someone famous using Twitter.

The media talking about a form of media.

Hey look! I have a belly button! Whoaaaaaaa....dude...YOU have a belly button too?! That's AWESOME! We must be, like the only two people who have belly buttons! NO....wait....you mean THEY have belly buttons too? That is JUST SO F'IN AMAZING! Let's tweet that!

3. News agencies (CNN) who incorporate Twitter feeds into their on-air broadcast.

"Let's see what they're saying about the collapse of our economy on Twitter."

Twitter: "Skittles fit perfectly in my cat's anus!

I don't give a frack about what the person in the street (Twitter) is saying about the news of the day, bucko. I'm paying YOU to tell me what's going on. If I wanted to know what the people on Twitter were saying about something, I'd log on and find out for myself.

4. Creating new nouns and verbs based on variance of 'twitter'.

ie: Twittersphere, twips, tweets, twestions, twaffic, twatrix, tweepers, tweeples, tweetaholism, tweet-bombs, tweetcred, tweethearts, tweetups, twirlfriend, twitoverse...you get the point. It's not cute or clever and this practice must stop.

It only serves to further devolve the English language and create a special insider vocabularly that makes Twitter LESS inclusive.

Those that persist in this odious practice are just a bunch of twankers.

5. The use of the term "followers".

I am not a follower. I learn, I engage, I listen and I connect on Twitter, but I don't follow anyone.

The term is creepy, like I'm a stalker, a disciple or a fan. I do not solicit a cult following, nor do I necessarily agree with the thoughts and practices of those I am connected to via Twitter, so I don't know how I can be considered a follower. More properly, I'm a listener--I connect to people who have interesting things to say with whom I might want to engage in conversation.

"Following" leads to a cult of personality and I think we all see this on Twitter--getting followers seems to be a way of claiming either special status or knowledge, when it does neither. The term needs to change. Language matters.

Raves: 5 Things I Love About Twitter

1. One can connect with a bunch of really smart, articulate people that you ordinarily would not get to talk with.

This is the primary benefit of Twitter for individuals, in my opinion. I can't go up to a superstar in person and just introduce myself and engage in a conversation with them, but I do get that opportunity via Twitter. That's very cool.

2. Twitter blatantly encourages businesses/brands to join the conversation.

Most brands need to do an end-around to actually converse with their customers and find out what people really think of them. They build elaborate customer service, public relations and marketing departments, all of whom have a vested interest in diluting or distorting the feedback they get from actual customers.

Twitters levels that playing field and brings some honesty to the conversation, which is good for both brand AND consumer.

3. The ethos on Twitter (for now) is sharing and transparency.

You gotta love a place where you build cred and status by giving away your best thoughts, links to resources and making connections for people, whether doing so benefits you directly or not.

And as an added bonus, Twitter is a no-bullshit zone--there are too many people with too many resources at their fingertips for anyone to try and spread propoganda or falsehoods.

4. You can deliver a message to a lot of people very quickly--IF it's the right message.

I have very modest standing on Twitter--there are 450 people on my 'followers' list. But according to one Twitter influence tool, I have a reach of slightly more than 2.5 million people in my network. That's pretty cool--if I have the right message that is important enough, clever enough or vital, I can broadcast to a lot of people in a very short period of time.

That's a power that I couldn't possibly obtain thru any other social media.

Of course, with great power comes with great responsibility. Which brings me to #5...

5. Twitter is chaos in action and demonstrates how people will self-regulate and govern given the opportunity.

It's a wide-open frontier on Twitter and there are very few rules. By and large, people will organize themselves in social groups in the way that works best for everyone and do not need a lot of outside regulation or direction.

So far, Twitter is a place where interesting conversations take place, good deeds get done, information gets shared, connections are made, friendships are formed and the general ethos is to help the 'have-nots' have more.

It's pretty cool to see the best of humanity come out on such a visible playing field.

So that's my list. What are YOUR rants and raves about Twitter?