Austin News & Blogs

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Tonight at the Porter Novelli "Entrepreneur's Lounge" party (at SXSW) I was in a conversation about raising money for good causes via blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Annie Boccio (@banannie on Twitter) mentioned that she had raised nearly $300 toward a $500 wheel chair for her nephew Matt.

Matt is an 18-year-old fire fighter. He got a virus that left him paralyzed. He will recover, but he has some work ahead going through rehab before he will walk again. His family has insurance, but not enough to cover all the costs of Matt's recovery.

I looked around. Millions of dollars are being spent at South by Southwest. Tons of parties are happening all over town tonight where open bars and catered food are being devoured by fun loving people from the Tech, Music and Film industries.

Surely we could come up with $200 more to buy this kid in New Jersey a wheel chair. I tossed $20 to Annie. Ian Sanders (a consultant, author and speaker from London) added more. Then Scott Francis and Cindy Lo added more (Scott is the co-founder of BP3 and Cindy is Austin's Premier Meeting Planner - Red Velvet Events!). Angie and Bryan Menell (Bryan works for Dachis Group and together they run the Austin Tech Happy Hour) joined those giving a gift to help the cause. Kevin Koym too (Kevin is one of the founders of Tech Ranch). And a few people I did not know. Finally, JT and Jeanne Keating (JT and Jeanne are wounderful people, and JT works for CoreTrace) took us over the top!

(If I forgot anyone I apologize, it all went so fast)

In about thirty minutes we had over $200. Add that to the money that Annie has already raised on her blog, and now they have a wheel chair. While those who were at the party could not bring about world peace or discover a cure for cancer.... they could make an impact on the life of one person. I do not know Matt. We will most likely never meet.... but he will recover and go forth and make a difference for someone else, I know that in my heart.

Never forget that the little things add up!

Thank you to everyone at the SXSW party at Fogo de Chao tonight who chipped in and solved a problem. While it seemed like a small issue (to raise $200), I know it is a BIG deal to Matt and his family!

Have A Great Day!

thom

Have you been at a bar wanting to order a drink but your waitress or waiter was not around?  Odds are that it has happened to you this week.  If you are at SXSWi here in Austin, it has happened to you more than once.  Busy bars make it tough to order drinks – especially when you are seated at a table.  My big pet peeve is sitting with an empty glass and nobody comes by to allow me to order another.

I was introduced to a new company that is making a big splash here at this year’s SXSWi.  SpeedMenu is an Austin-based startup that is tackling this problem in an ingenious way.  The moment you order your first drink, the wait staff hands you a receipt with a location, table number and 4 digit PIN.  Pointing your cell phone to www.SpeedMenu.com and entering the location, table and PIN allows you to securely connect to your tab at the bar.  You can also visit the bar’s website and get automatically directed to the bar’s custom-branded SpeedMenu web application.  No need to download or install anything.  It just uses your cell phone browser.

Want to order another beer?  Simply click the reorder button of any item on your tab.  You can also select from a list of specials at the bar or you can enter a SpeedMenu code that orders items off the regular menu.  The ticket is printed at the bar station and the bartender starts preparing your drink within a couple seconds of placing your order.

Want to close your tab?  Simply click the close my tab button and your tab is printed out and ready for the staff to bring you your tab to close out.  You can pay with cash or credit card as usual and unlike other systems that try to replace the staff, you get a friendly “thank you” as you close out from a real human being.  The key is helping the staff during busy times rather than replacing them.

The level of sophistication goes even further.  With a free SpeedMenu account, you can track your tabs, see what you have ordered, what you have spent and can receive future specials at participating bars and restaurants.  SpeedMenu announced this week that they have integrated their system with Dinerware – a bar/restaurant point of sale system that has countless installations around the country.

“We looked at the technology in everyone’s pocket,” said Richard Bagdonas the CTO  “and realized that we could effectively extend the local POS system.”  When asked about security of the information being sent, Bagdonas said “we are not sending any personally identifiable information – period.  We don’t send credit card numbers or even a name.  We simply send a flag that says the person with tab 123 at table 54 wants another Bud Light.  The key is we do it in an encrypted and compressed format that provides two layers of obfuscation.”  What does that techno-jargon mean?  Your information is safe and you get your drinks faster.  The company is demoing the system at this year’s SXSWi and will be launching nationwide in April.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} I spoke this week at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas. My topic as "Networking at a Multi-Day Conference". This is a popular presenation that I present at business meetings, conventions, user conferences and other large gatherings all over the country. The number one reason that people attend such conferences is the "networking opportunities", and yet few leave such an event having established meaningful connections that lead to follow up. Follow up is the key to creating mutually beneficial and ongoing conversations.

Below is the handout that I provided to the attendees:

Ten Tips For Networking At A Multi-Day Conference – SXSW 2010

1. Have a plan. Know in advance whom you want to meet (directly or the type of people), which speakers you want to hear, and what tradeshow booths you want to visit.

2. Bring plenty of business cards. In today’s digital world some argue against the importance of business cards. But having a card is not for you, it is for the other person. Some people forget names quickly and asking for a card helps them recall you later. Telling someone “Google Me” is making them work to keep in touch. Additionally we don’t all use the same technologies, so using BUMP (or another digital tool) assumes we all adopt the same technologies. Not carrying business cards can be selfish, and selfish is so last year!

3. Do not focus on meeting the celebrity speakers. While meeting famous authors, speakers, and other gurus is fun, you are one of hundreds who will come up to them and shove a card in their hands. Instead, place your focus on meeting other people in attendance at the event. It is the other attendees who you are most likely to bond with and create real long lasting mutually beneficial friendships.

4. Talk to the people sitting next to you. When you walk into a seminar, take the time before the presentation begins to say hello to the people seated around you. I call this the "power of hello". Once you have said something as simple as "hello", it will be easier to talk with them later in the week if you see them again.

5. Ask questions of people you meet. Never lead with your "elevator pitch". People are more interested in themselves than they are in you, so ask them questions to help them get to talking.

6. Put your technology away. Do not run to your iPhone, BlackBerry, or laptop at every break. When you are working on electronics you send the message that you are unapproachable because you are busy. Utilize the time on breaks to converse with others. Look around and smile rather than texting like crazy.

7. Do not automatically send a LinkedIn or Facebook request. Too often people immediately send social networking link requests to people they just met. However, different people have different policies about whom they link with. If they believe in only connecting with those whom they have established relationships, you make it awkward if you send them a link too early (which they then ignore). Best is to ask people if they would welcome such a link at this time. Be respectful of the fact that they might use social networking differently than you do. Immediately following them on Twitter is okay, as Twitter does not require a mutual connection acceptance.

8. Read their stuff. Many people are active bloggers, tweeters, authors, etc... If people create the written word, seek out their work and read it. It is a great way to get to know people by reading their stuff, but they will also be honored when you tell them that you read their blog or follow them on Twitter.

9. Introduce others. When you meet cool people, be the conduit that connects them with others who might be beneficial to them. This includes others at the conference, as well as other people you might know back home. If you ask the right types of questions, you will easily spot connections that can help others. Don't ever worry about "what's in it for me", but instead just be the person who helps others. You will over time that others will help you too.

10. Follow up. If you meet interesting people and you never follow up, it makes no difference. Own the follow up after you meet people and send them an email (or better yet, a handwritten note) telling them how much you enjoyed talking with them, and plan for future discussions.

11. Do more than others expect from you. Bring more to a new relationship than the other person expects and they will always remember you as someone who is a giver. Invite them along to lunch or dinner with your group of friends or get them into a cool SXSW party. Those who give always get more down the line.

***If you or someone you know is looking to hire a motivational speaker for your next meeting, please give me a call.

Have A Great Day

thom

Are you a Whack-a-mole Company? You should be.

Wikipedia calls Whac-a-Mole
a “Redemption Game”

Every industry has them. Your company may be one of them. They are the whack-a-mole companies, sticking their virtual neck out, and striving to do things better, driving online sales with an evolving ecommerce marketing strategy.

And they often get whacked.

But the companies I’m talking about hunker down in their holes and plan their next chance to pop out again, with more force. It’s in their blood. The Internet is becoming the place they stage their emergence.

These whack-a-mole companies may sell products that range from the common to the mundane. Zappos was a whack-a-mole company. They started out in online sales of shoes. In ten years, Zappos outshone their competitors and sold an almost $1 billion business to Amazon.

The GoodLife Team is a whack-a-mole company in the very competitive real estate market. They are small by the standards of their peers, but like Zappos, I expect them to pop out of their hole with such force that they will leave the table altogether, flying free of the hammers that seek to drive them back.

Patience and Impatience

Whack-a-mole companies are both patient, and remarkably impatient. They are remarkably impatient to try new things. They aren’t careless. Successful whack-a-moles seek to find out what works and what doesn’t quickly.

Yet, they are patient in the long run. They know that they’re going to get whacked a few times, and they prepare for the blows. Theirs is a journey of learning and persistence.

I am drawn to these kind of companies. It is them that I find myself writing for.

Ecommerce Whack-a-moles

If you are a budding whack-a-mole in your industry and want to turn the Web into a powerful sales channel, find out how the highest-converting sites on the Web use ecommerce marketing strategy to maximize conversion rates and online sales. “Conversion” is the magic that makes you stronger than your competitors.

It gives you the force to fly free of your industry Whac-a-mole table by slashing your online sales costs.

Be free, my plastic mole friends!

Photo courtesy O Mighty Crisis Blog.

I was quoted in this week's "ASK ANNIE" column on CNNMoney.com. Anne Fisher has been a business writer for a long time, and I enjoyed talking with her. I enjoyed her column even more (she weaves the written word like a tapestry).

CLICK HERE to read "Should You Give Money To A Jobless Friend?"

Have A Great Day.

thom

I’m Ready - You?

I just made it (very quickly!) through the badge check-in line at SXSW. W00t to myEmma for being the lanyard for our badges this year. Shout out to my local friends, Jonathan Gesinger and Matthew Parente, for being the face of myEmma to me.

It’s All About the Friends

If you’re going, or you’re there, I hope you’ll TALK to everyone around you! It’s amazing how much you can learn. @asos_james told me why he doesn’t have business cards. Do you have a pile of them? Do you remember who those people all are? See?

He also told me about sitby.us, another social check-in and locator app. I hadn’t heard of it yet. It’s on the SXSW site, but so is lots of other information (some of which I completely missed, thank you Dale for helping me SEE the obvious!)

Be Patient With the Traffic

So, in case you’re just a little bit like me, this post has links to the four main geo locator/social check-in apps that are likely to be getting a lot of attention and traffic at SXSW. Hopefully they’re all up to the task. I’ve already heard complaints in the line about one of them, and the article I found on SitByUs says it’s still a little unstable. I just signed up for FourSquare and connected it to my Twitter and Facebook friends (very easily, I might add), and it went PERFECTLY.

It’s understandable that they’d have a hard time with the bandwidth and traffic peaks at a convention like this, which causes anything BUT normal demands on a system. Even the large wireless carriers have trouble meeting the demand. Twitter has had trouble in the past as well. As an app developer, I totally get how hard it would be to gauge and prepare for what might be coming, cuz what if it doesn’t? That’s a big investment to hope pays off. I hope everyone is patient.

Locator Links

So, here are the links, in alphabetical order:

FourSquare -  http://www.foursquare.com - (seems to be gaining some serious traction - over 200 of my Twitter friends were on FourSquare) GoWalla -  http://www.gowalla.com (earn badges for checking in places; um, don’t put your house here unless you wanna be on pleaserobme.com!) PlanCast -  http://www.plancast.com (list of events; is there an overall friend calendar I’m too blind to see here?) SitBy.Us - http://www.sitby.us (micro-locator, as in ‘what seat are you occupying?)

Then there’s always good old Twitter and Facebook.  I hope they declare hashtags in each session so it’s easy to connect quickly at the beginning of a session.

We’re Locals!

By the way, we’re located in Austin, if you’re reading this because you’re from out-of-town.  I’m more than happy to answer your Austin questions.  Outgoing, friendly, just tweet me - @cjromb.

I’m excited to have these four locator apps. I’ve signed up as cjromb on all of them.

Let’s Connect

If you see me on the apps, don’t be shy about connecting. Alot of my Austin friends/colleagues aren’t going, so this will give me a chance to find my you and my other online friends quickly and meet them in person.

Gear, Schedule, Other SXSW Posts

If you’re interested here are a few other SXSW Posts:
SXSW Gadget Girl Gear (I wrote this)
Coming to Austin, TX for SXSW?

My Schedule

Here’s my schedule so far:
http://www.budurl.com/sxswcj

Not Going?

For my friends who aren’t going, @irene_koehler created this post:
How To Enjoy SXSW (Without Even Being at SXSW)

And here’s another option for what to do if you’re here without a badge:
http://plancast.com/sxswbadgeless

Enjoy!

ENJOY SXSW, however YOU Interact with it.

Mark Ligeza of Secret Weapon Systems Talks about His Startup


Where are you from originally?

I was born in Austin, but spent my formative years in suburban Houston.


What university did you go to?

University of Texas


What brought you to Austin?

School and family


What is the idea behind your startup?

The general impetus for forming our business was to create new enabling products that would dramatically reduce the cost of PC ownership for organizations. Our first offering - the ImageMagic product line - dramatically simplifies the creation, management, and deployment of Windows Standard Operating Environments (SOE).


What need does it fulfill?

In 2008, Forrester Research published a study that identified the significant cost organizations incur in managing and maintaining SOE images. Our vision is to enable organizations to reduce those costs.


What exactly does your product do?

ImageMagic provides a single interface where a deployment of any Windows operating system is completely designed, created, and maintained. Quite simply, ImageMagic dramatically reduces the time and cost associated with deploying PCs across an organization.


Who is it for?

ImageMagic comes in two varieties. ImageMagic Pro is a tool for Systems Administrators, Systems Integrators and IT consultants. ImageMagic Enterprise is a system for businesses with 1,000 or more PCs.


What was the most challenging aspect of starting up a business?

In addition to the associated technical challenge to develop high quality products, establishing credibility and market differentiation is key.


What is the next step for you and your startup?

Expanding our customer base.


What advice do you have for entrepreneurs?

Take any estimate you have going in and double it.


What Austin-based resource have you found to be the most helpful and why?

We recently engaged PetersGroup Public Relations and they’ve been instrumental in helping us differentiate and develop a go-to-market strategy.

Best regards,
Hall T.

Hopefully everyone that is going to SXSW has confirmed places to stay, picked panels and parties and broken in those comfortable shoes (can't over emphasize that enough) and those that are staying here have unfollowed their Austin-bound friends and blocked the hashtag #SXSW for the next week. The comments of ...

Even if you're not planning on coming to Austin for SXSW, you should plan on coming to the Houston@SXSW Pre-party at Caroline Collective Date: Tuesday March 9, 2010 Time: 6:00pm - 9:30pm Location: Caroline Collective 4820 Caroline Houston, Texas 77004 RSVP on Facebook Since that starts at 6, you can then go to the monthly ...

Every year since 1994 (when Interactive launched), web workers - designers, developers, marketers and technologists converge on the city of Austin for five days of a Shiner-fueled experienced that is like no other on the planet. It's sometimes called "Geek Spring Break", and it has become the premiere destination for ...

The Houston Innovation Initiative is a group started by Houston Council Member Jarvis Johnson and Yvette Golan of World Innova and here is a quick summary of what they are all about: The Houston Innovation Initiative (HII) joins government leaders focused on solving city challenges to the technology and innovation leaders ...

Join us as StartupHouston liveblogs the TiE Houston Legal Workshop that offers advice on how to protect your Small Business Intellectual Property and More.

. FreeTimeStudios, an independent mobile game development studio founded by Nathan Eror and headquartered in Houston, TX, announced yesterday that their new game, SlapHappy, is now available via the iTunes Store for an introductory price of 99 cents. For those of you not aware, Nathan has been very active in Houston's development ...

. Werkadoo, the Houston startup that aims to compete with the likes of ODesk and eLance for the business of contractors and freelancers and be the "eHarmony of Business," officially launched their site yesterday!  Below are the screenshots of their beta invitation and launch sites, as well as information from the ...

Join us today for the live stream and live blog of Houston's first iPhone Dev Camp! Streaming live video by Ustream

Houston is home to a number of organizations that offer the keys to building a successful technology company. Don't miss your opportunity to learn about their plans for 2010. Startup Houston will be participating for the first time this year. Tech Connection Thursday, January 28, 2010 The Houstonian Hotel Keynote by Michael Garfield 5:30 ...

In light of the article written in the Houston Chronicle by Purva Patel last week: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tech/news/6808624.html# some other news has come out about the Houston mobile development scene. Anthony Broussard gave a great interview about his company Quantum Potato to the BusinessMakers radio show. You can hear the entire interview here ...

Badge pickup started at 3:00 today. This was the line at 2:45.

Good thing everyone has games on their iPhones.

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SXSW Interactive is only moments away! I’ll be finishing out my draft schedule tonight, and then finalizing choices tomorrow.

My friends have been calling me Gadget Girl for a long time, and a few years ago I approached austinwoman magazine about a column begging them to let me blabber about all the dork things I find.  I told them I just knew it would help others learn about new technology.  They bought it, and now I use it for that, and as an excuse to buy new toys *ahem* tools in the interest of talking other people into going into tech debt WITH me.

Anyway, it’s been FUN to do that column for the last few years. To further expose my gadget addiction to the light, I’ll be starting a Show and Tech event in the next few months. If you’re interested in more details, let me know and I’ll include you when I send out the intro information.

As you can guess, SXSW would be a major annual highlight for me. In fact, I would readily say going for the past few years has changed me and the face of our business in many ways.

AWM ran an article in the March issue with suggestions for surviving SXSW, so if you’re going, I hope you’ll take a look at what we had to say:  http://budurl.com/awmsxsw

I took a picture last night of some initial stuff I want to make sure I don’t forget. I took the picture for three reasons. 1) I wanted to share it with you. 2) I wanted to force myself to find a few of the items before Thursday night, and 3) I wanted a visual packing list so I don’t miss anything important.

The idea for staging these equipment pictures started when I was doing this before races I was running. It was fun to assemble all my stuff the night before and snap a pic of it.  It helped me make sure I had everything in one place before the last minute, too.

So, onto the sharing with you. Here’s the pic:

And here’s what you’re seeing:

• Kindle - If I want to look up or download a sample of a book.  I might leave this and just use the app on my iPhone instead, however, it’s also a good conversation starter.
• Case Logic padded Kindle case behind it
• Jack, the Mac (I was a PC user last SXSW)
• Apple (not to be confused with Mac) - I need more food than this, but you don’t need to see that!
• Built brand neoprene case for Jack.  EASY zip up
• Built brand cable case (see below for inside view)
• Olympus Digital recorder
• Red sleeve for digital recorder (It was the Adobe give-away from last SXSW.  THANX Adobe!)
• Name tag - Yes, I know you get a pass with your name on it.  This is more visible.  And it’s branded. It makes an impression at a networking event every time. And thankfully no one’s asked me to get them some fries yet when I’m wearing it.
• PhD Grip mechanical pencil with lots of eraser.
• Ignore Everybody book by Hugh MacLeod for when I need to Ignore Everybody.
• LiveScribe Pen to the right of the book, replacement ink on top of the red digital recorder sleeve, Orange LiveScribe notebook underneath the pen and the book.  Truth is, I’ll probably use the black, small journal version of this for SXSW, and I’ll start off with a brand new one, so everything SXSW related is in it.
• iPhone in a STURDY Otter box (which I LOVE) - Last year I still had my Blackberry.  I love Sprint, I hated that phone.  Now, I love my iPhone, and I hate AT&T.  Verizon?  Are you reading this?
• Palmer Cocoa Butter lip stuff.  OMG this tastes just like chocolate.  Gotta have a pinch of girlie.
• Rocket Dog shoes - happy, colorful, and the most comfortable shoes on the entire planet.
• Belkin plug extender for making new friends.  Has USB device charger on the top, too.  I can make 2 or 3 friends at a time with this thing.
• Upper area - Water bottle - Thermos - from Target.  This is THE best water bottle I’ve ever found.
• Tug Pencil case.  This pencil case can HOLD some stuff!

Hauling It Around:

I broke my back a few years ago and still have some issues with long periods on my feet, hauling things around.  So I’ll be dragging my stuff around on wheels I suspect, instead of in my backpack, which is how I normally do it.

I have two things to say about what you haul your stuff around in.  First, DO NOT use the bag they give you at SXSW!  You know why, right?  Because it’s the EXACT SAME bag LOTS of other people will be using.  The first time you forget to pick it up, and you go looking for it, you’ll realize what’s wrong with your container choice.  It’s like going to the mall security police as a kid and telling them your Mom’s name is Mom.  Not. Helpful.  Only difference is that Mom’s likely to also be looking for you, while your bag?  It will not be contacting you.

Anyway, second thing…Now that you’re convinced of the merits of carrying your own unique bag, don’t make it black.  Seriously.  Don’t.  Put something UNIQUE on it.  You know the suitcases all gray/black rolling around at the airport?  Nuff said.  If you want to see it, and you want it back, trust me on these two scores.

Here’s the inside of the cable bag I promised to add.  I wrote about this in austinwoman a few months ago.  It’s kinda empty right now; it’s usually full.  Friends make fun of me about it…until they want a cable, Flash drive, extra USB ports, or a battery.  Just sayin’.