Monday, March 30, 2009

Better Late Than Never

I am finally getting myself together to do this blog post. I apologize for the delay....

This year was the first time I was able to attend to SXSW Interactive, and let me tell you, what an experience! Not only did I meet amazing people but I learned so much that it just blew me away. I have to thank two people for helping me get to SXSW, Jeremiah Owyang and Hugh Forrest. I would not be there without you so thank you!

So here is what I experienced...

The first day I arrived in Austin I was so excited and overwhelmed at the same time. Austin was beautiful and everyone there was just so nice. As soon as I arrived at the convention center I was able to attend my first of many keynotes. The first keynote was Groundswell co-author and Former Forrester Analyst Charlene Li. It was an great pleasure to see her on stage again. The topic of Charlene's keynote was "The Future of Social Networking." She talked about 3 things that can make Social Networks like Air: 1) Identity 2) Your contacts 3) Activities. If you achieve any of these 3 things in your Social Networks it can be the life supply to every person using that network. She also said that if you are able to help manage friendships in Social Networking then you are way ahead of the game!


The Is Spec Work Evil panel was intense thanks to the following panelists; Mike Samson - crowdspring.com, Jeff Howe Editor - Wired Magazine, Jeffrey Kalmikoff, Chief Creative Officer - skinnyCorp/Threadless, Jeremiah Owyang Analyst - Forrester, David Carson - davidcarsondesign, and Lydia Mann - AIGA. I walked into the panel not knowing which side I wanted to side with, still pretty much in the grey area. And of course the first person who sat down next to me was the CTO of Threadless.com, Harper Reed who asked me right away, "So are you for or against spec work?" I had no idea who he was so I honestly admitted, "I don't know yet."

Well let me tell you at the end of the session I strongly felt that Spec Work is another area that allows designers and customers more options. David Carson did throw out a few zingers at Mike Samson Crowdspring.com causing a few people suck in their breath. Although no general agreement was reached by the panel itself it was good seeing the passion people had for this topic. So Mr. Reed my decision has been made: I think on Crowdspring.com does give designers the opportunity to grow, communicate, and design to its customers needs and wants. It also allows them to practice their abilities, share their expertise, and show what they can do while building their portfolio.

I also went to many more panels, core conversations, and got a chance to hang out at the Blogger Lounge. All in all, SXSW was an amazing, and hopefully not a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Photos from SXSWi

I just returned from a really great trip to Austin, Texas to attend SXSW Interactive. While I was there I took a lot of photos. So here they are, enjoy!

SXSWi Part 1

Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSWi

SXSWi Part 2


Monday, March 16, 2009

And the winners are!

After a very long day at Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator, the winners have been announced. Every presentation was well done and all the ideas were innovative and unique.


And the winners in each category are:


Online Music-Related Technologies


Popcuts - Berkeley, CA


Online Video-Related Technologies


Tubemogul - Emeryville, CA


Social Networking Applications


Weardrobe - Palo Alto, CA


Innovative Web Technologies


Ribbit.com - Mountain View, CA





Online Music-Related Technologies

Echodio - San Francisco, CA


This painless music manager sits in iTunes, allowing music fans to sync their tracks and backing up their music while on the go. To use this in iTunes, users just drag and drop their music into the Echodia playlist which automatically provides a backup. It also stores ratings, playlists, and tags, giving the music fan the whole package when backed up.


Gigotron- Los Angeles, CA


Gigotron’s presentation addressed one problem right off the bat: live music does not have one central location where everyone can find out about where bands are performing. This iPhone application lets users know what events are scheduled on a certain night, who is playing, and why they may not be able to find this information easily. Gigotron says this application for the iPhone “helps you get in touch with your music.”


A panelist asked, “How is this different from SongKic?” Gigotron responded “We have 40% more concert data than SongKick.”


Mugasha - Portland, OR


Magusha caters to dance music fans, allowing them to browse and stream DJ sets. Dance music fans can also rate the tracks and buy the tracks with little loading time. They work with smaller artists who allow them to do this, which helps avoid potential legal issues. The only problem that the judges commnted on was that users can see every music genre in the display list, and there is no filter for which music is available to stream.


Popcuts - Berkeley, CA


Popcuts says that they “Make music more like a relationship.” Users can look up Popcuts and find smaller artists and buy their music. If you buy a smaller artist’s music and they become a hit, you receive store credit and street cred. The panelists brought up that this sounded like a ponzi scheme, but Popcuts countered with “The real ponzei scheme is when the money floats to the top and the little guy gets nothing.”

Online Video-Related Technologies

The third category of presentations at Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator, Online Video-Related Technologies, has finished.

Here is a quick overview of who presented and their "big idea":


MotionNotes - Houston, TX


MotionNotes began their presentation by stating that “email is good for some things and bad for other things.” Their product does not replace traditional media, but enhances it. With MotionNotes users can create a site people can visit for sharing personalized media. Users can do multiple things with this web-based platform, including making online reservations, personalized Christmas cards, and image slideshows.


The main concern with the judges was that this presentation did state that the product is “…sometimes a replacement for email – sometimes.” The lack of clarity therefore confused the judges and could possibly confuse users.


PortalVideo - Wellesley, MA


PortalVideo rough-cut edits over the internet to cut digital editing time in half. Drag and drop methods allow users to take transcripts and video cuts and place them where they would want them to be in a film strip. Realtime plays are also available to users.


“What problem do you solve?” asked one judge. PortalVideo said they solve the problem of not having to use an edit suite to figure out what clips you want to use while shuffling around loads of paper.


Tubemogul

Emeryville, CA


Tubemogel allows content creators to upload their videos, and share them with all top video sharing sites. It also provides syndication, aggregated analytics, promotion and guaranteed viewership. Users can get rich audience analytics side by side with their syndicated analytics. The free product allows people to see reviews and ratings of their video, and the subscription allows them to see the deep gritty of analytics.


As mentioned, Tubemogel offers a guaranteed viewership, which can be done through a cost-per-view program. TubeMogel sends a video to featured spots; if the video is clicked on to be viewed, people pay each time it is viewed.


Spawn Labs

Austin, TX


Spawn Labs allows a gamer toplay their console games via a Internet-connected computer. This also provides game developers access to dev kits in real time. Users can plug the game controller into their computer, log onto their site, access their consoles and play straight from their computer. Users can also access your favorite television show if someone is hogging the TV.

Social Networking Applications

The second category of presentations at Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator, Social Networking Applications, has finished.

Here is a quick overview of who presented and their "big idea":


Cubeless - Southlake, TX


Cubeless desribes themlseves as a practical social network for businesses that allows people to collaborate with one another about work. Sabre uses Cubeless for its employees, allowing them to network and communicate with one another. They target their media to large companies. Employees of a company that uses Cubeless can post questions to get real time answers, collaborate on upcoming projects, and create profiles.


The judges did recommend that Cubeless work with HR to get incentives in place. They also wanted information about how people are sharing this information right now to make it possible for them to move from the current networking area they use to this new networking area for employees.


HourVille - Austin, TX


HourVille started their presentation by using a masseuse (aka - a persona) to show how she is struggling to get clients, book massages, and charge clients. HourVille went on to mention how they can help her with these problems. HourVille allows service providers to create their own site, offer a book schedule with booking, and allow clients to pay for the service offered to them online.


The many questions that the judges rapid-fired at HourVille resulted in a better understanding of their product by many. This is pretty much a virtual, easy to use shop. HourVille focuses on the individual worker who charges hourly and needs to get their name out there.


Wakoopa - Amsterdam, the Netherlands


Wakoopa is a downloadable application that shows you what applications you use and how long you use them, and also allows you to share your applications with your friends. It promotes unknown applications to people who might be interested in them. You can also get recommendations while sharing what you think.


The recurring question from the panel was “How will you make money?” The answer given was that the data on application usage can be bundled and sold to software companies so they can generate usage patterns.


Weardrobe

Palo Alto, CA


Weardrobe, a social networking tool based around how people wear their clothing differently, really got the attention of the judges. To give an example of how Weardrobe works: If someone saw a great T-shirt, but weren’t sure how its going to look on someone, they can go to this website, search for that t-shirt, and see how other girls are wearing it (as opposed to seeing it displayed on a model or mannequin).


This site at the moment is only for girls. Also, brands can help “drive the buying decision” by seeing how their clothing is being worn. For clothing brands, this is a deep look into what your customer does with your clothing the moment they put it on. This site did impress the judges, and they gave good recommendations to Weardrobe.

Innovative Web Technologies Category

The first category of presentations Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW, Innovative Web Technologies, has just wrapped up. Hats off to all of the presenters for their rapid fire presentations in under two minutes! And kudos to them as well for fielding some tough, but pointed questions from the panel, including: What is your business model? How are you going to make money? And, How are you different from other competitors out there? Great questions!

Here is a quick overview of who presented and their "big idea":



klout.net - Los Angeles, CA

Klout.net wants to measure a person or company's influence on the web, and try to make it more effective. Klout.net helps people understand a person’s true reach. Joe Fernandez, CEO and Founder, for Klout.net said, “Understanding overall how influential someone is only half the battle. Klout.net is there to help you with this battle."

“So how do you make money?” asked one panelist. Joe responded that they make money by providing an API to companies that pay for the integration into their CRM and customization. Then Klout.net analyzes the data, “...to find indicators of influence and then provide you with innovative tools to interact with and interpret the data.”


OtherInbox - Austin, TX

The first interaction that Other Inbox took when they got onto stage was, “Raise your hand if you have multiple inboxes,” which resulted in a lot of raised hands. Other Inbox works to help people organize their inboxes, enabling them to better keep up with their email. This product helps the marketer and the consumer control their campaigns and the campaigns coming to them. Guy Kawasaki said "My problem is not filtering emails - it is responding to emails."


Piryx - Austin, TX

Piryx is taking a very different approach to Innovative Web Technologies - an approach through politics. taken from their website “Empowering Democracy Through Technology," Piryx based their presentation on how President Barack Obama used technology to help win the election. Piryx hopes to help other politicians in similar ways.

The three products that they offer are Piryx Compliance, Pyrix Fundraising, and Piryx Clerk Portal. Politicians can use these products to raise campaign funds online, stay current with election regulations in their area, and enable clerks to file electronically.


RingLight - Austin, TX

RingLight, a peer-to-peer social company, was represented by Brandon Wiley. He stated that RingLight is everything you need in a web browser, allowing you to share files through social media, and organize through tagging, search, and comments. They launched an Alpha test in November and are getting ready to launch Beta version soon.

A panelist asked “How is this different from DropBox?” Brandon responded to this question with “Ringlight integrates with everything that you use.” He also stated that users are able to get their files all the time and make them available for everyone to get their own files.


Ribbit.com - Mountain View, CA

Ribbit calls themselves “Silicon Valley's First Phone Company,” because they feel that the world needs a new kind of phone company. Ribbit is an open platform that allows for multi-protocol communication. It is an “ecosystem” of developers who can market and sell their applications.

The panel's reaction to Ribbit.com is best demonstrated in this tweet:

elieljohnson: Accelerator pannel @ sxsw is helping the Ribbit guy refine his pitch - it went from confusing to clear! #sxsw

See more live tweets from this conference.


YouData - Houston, TX

The general feeling was that YouData's presentation was not as clear and defined as some of the others. Some audience members were left asking the question, “So what does YouData do?" YouData allows advertisers to pay viewers to watch their advertisement. They do say that a consumer won't get rich doing this, but that the costs can be offset. This also allows the ads to be more applicable to the consumers.


Thrive - New York, NY

Thrive states that they are “Advancing financial literacy." A user can go to the web based application, import their financial information via their current online bank accounts, and receive a full report on where their finances lie by receiving a financial health score developed by a consultant. They can also decide when, where, and how they should spend their bank account money.

The panel asked “How are you different from Mint.com?" Thrive responded with “We focus on providing actions and advice.” The twitter stream did comment on how nice the UI of this website is.


Zoomorama - Paris, France

Unfortunately, I was unable to see the Zoomorama presentation because my laptop power died, so I’m basing this off of what the Twitter stream has said, and what Zoomorama’s website can tell me about them. Zoomorama allows you to convey emotions via layouts that no other magazine can imitate.

Friday, March 13, 2009

SxSW Bound! (tomorrow, tomorrow, I love yah tomorrow)

On Saturday I will heading to Austin, Texas for South By South West. SxSW is a 10 day conference for Interactive Professionals, Filmmakers, and Musicians. I will be attending the Interactive Festival for four days; jam packed with educational panels, awards, core conversations, book readings, networking parties, tweetups, and much much more!

Not only am I excited to attend SxSW but it will be my first time in Austin, Texas. I have heard so many things about how great Austin is, from food to music.

The panels I'm looking forward to attending are:

Saturday, March 14th

2:00
Profit By Mobilizing Your Online Community or Marketplace at 10

3:30
The Future Of Social Networks at A

5:00
Suxorz '09: The Ten Worst Social Media Campaigns at 12AB

Sunday, March 15th

10:00
Is Spec Work Evil? The Online Creative Community Speaks at A

11:30
Can Social Media End Racism? at 8

02:00
Sunday Keynote Interview at A

03:30
From Flickr and Beyond: Lessons in Community Management at A

05:00
Twitter for Marketers: Is It Still Social Media? at 5B

06:00
SXSW Web Awards Pre-Party at Downtown Hilton Hotel, 6th Floor Foyer

07:00 PM
Adobe 12th Annual SXSW Web Awards Ceremony - Presented by Adobe at Downtown Hilton Hotel, 6th Floor

Monday, March 16th

10:00

05:00
Kick Ass or Suck - Escaping Internet Mediocrity at 7

09:30
Mashable Party at Six Lounge

Tuesday, March 17th

10:00
Collabotition: Can Companies Work With Their Competitors? at A

11:30
Designers and Developers: Why Can't We All Just Get Along? at 8

11:30
UR Blog Sux and Print is Dead at 18BCD

12:15
Chris Anderson at Day Stage Cafe - Austin Convention Center

12:30
The Sheikh's Batmobile; In Pursuit of American Pop Culture in the Muslim World at Day Stage

02:00
Tuesday Keynote Interview at A


I have heard from a couple of SxSWi veterans that the parties are must attends, so of course I will be attending a few.
Saturday -SXSW Opening Happy Hour sponsored by Razorfish, The Bigg Digg Shindigg - Now with 100% More Diggnation!
Sunday - Austin Geek Breakfast, Austin Tweetup during SxSWi, Social Media Club presents: Pool 2.0, Mobile Social SXSW BBQ, and many others!
Monday - Mashable + Blurb SX Bash

I am open to suggestions if you think I should attend any other panels, keynotes, parties, tweetups, meetups, and/or anything else. You can follow my #SxSWi updates during the entire 4 days via Twitter.

Oh annnddd before I forget! I will be live Blogging from the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW on Monday 3/16. If you are unable to attend and you would like to know how the Finalist presentations went and who won, you can read my blog to find out!