Such a title could be taken in so many ways by the SXSW participants, but no, I’m not referring to the different beverage options available to the conference goers (yesterday I was offered and consumed honey milk), I’m instead referring to the panels I hope to attend today.

12:30pm – Social Media and the NBA, Where It’s @ – I’m looking forward to hearing about how the NBA is using social media to engage their fans.

2:00pm – Keynote w/ Seth Priebatsch (SCVNGR Chief Ninja)

3:30pm – How Not to Get PWNED on Facebook – Basically a session about how to prevent your account and your client’s account from being taken over by hackers.

And then after that… a few happy hours and parties (networking opportunities…).

You can keep up with the latest by following me on Twitter @psubuzz or Foursquare, reading my SXSW blog series, and catch some of the sights and sounds of SXSW on Flickr.

Everything I had read prior to arriving in Austin for SXSW had warned me that for new attendees, the conference can be a little overwhelming. I think this forewarning is a bit of an understatement – it’s downright crazy. Imagine 10,000-15,000 people swarming to a 4 block section of town. Then take about 70% of those people, and imagine they are walking with their nose buried in their smartphone. These people could be wearing shorts, jeans, sun dresses, leather, plaid, sport coats, ties, and more leather. They might look like Barbie, Mr. T, members of your favorite punk rock band, or your CPA. They might have died hair, earrings, shaved heads, mohawks, glasses, or look like you and me. In other words, any and every type of person is here – from all over the world.

After I processed the initial shock of being surrounded by such colorful people, the first order of business was check in and get my coveted SXSW badge. And after standing in the wrong long line for 20 minutes (for a swag bag rather than my badge), I was kindly directed by one of the very nice and energetic SXSW staff to the badge collection line. And as I entered the long, winding line, it reminded me of my honeymoon in Disneyworld, waiting in line with high expectations for a crazy ride ahead – except no children.

Waiting In Line for the Ride of My Life

So, after picking up my badge, I walked around the convention center to get my bearings as well as a sense for where I would need to go to attend the various panels. As with most conventions, there are booths set up by every possible tech vendor that you can imagine, from Microsoft hawking the new Windows 7 phones, to Nintendo promoting the Wii Kinect.

A Challenging Bout w/ Wii Kinect

And if I hadn’t just showered and gussied myself up for the conference, I might have jumped into the ring with these guys – I have a nasty right hook.

And after walking around for a bit, it was time to take a little walk around downtown and find a nice watering hole to grab lunch – after all, it had been a long, tough morning. I think what I found the most fascinating on my walk was the transformation taking place around the convention center. Buildings that had stood empty a mere two days before were now “it” spots for parties, or in the case below, what was once just a normal restaurant had become the CNN SXSW Grill. As you can see, the old signage had been replaced with a sign specifically made for CNN for this week. And this was taking place all over the city.

CNN Preparing for Their SXSW Takeover

Finally, after satiating my appetite with a delicious taco salad, it was time to venture back to the conference area and sit in on a few panels. First up was a Fireside Chat with Tim O’Reilly. For those of you who don’t know Tim O’Reilly, not only is he the founder of the O’Reilly suite of tech and programming books, he’s probably one of the smartest guys out there when it comes to emerging technology. He has had a track record of knowing what the next big thing is going to be, before the Googles and Facebooks of the world do.

Tim O'Reilly and Jason Calacanis Take the Stage

Tim O’Reilly has always been a big advocate for “open source.” He and a group of folks actually coined the term “open source” back when programmers were trying to determine what to call their efforts to share programming knowledge with one another. And what I found interesting was how he is now trying to use his experience to apply that concept to evolving our government. He believes we should view the government as a platform, rather than a service provider. He referenced how the government using their abilities to develop GPS technology in the 60′s and then making it available to the public to in ’87 to innovate against is what has led to the thousands of products that now use GPS technology. Imagine what our lives would be like without turn by turn directions from our Tom Tom, or not being able to check in at work to claim your mayorship.

But in all seriousness, Tim is advocating for more people to think like startups, rather than big corporations. Think iteratively, collect feedback, and evolve often. Imagine what our government would be like if bills were 20 pages long, rather than 2600… He has even started a non-profit, Code For America, where he is recruiting the best and brightest programmers, and using their skill sets to help our government evolve, all over the country. Amazing and powerful stuff.

You can learn more about Tim O’Reilly by reading his blog or following him on Twitter @TimOReilly.

And as fascinating as this discussion was, the following panel that I attended was not nearly as much. The presentation, led by Mint.com‘s VP of Product, was billed as an opportunity to hear how companies were using analytics to help determine whether they should build a mobile app versus a web app, versus a mobile-optimized website. This is something we wrestle with every one of our clients – what is the right solution based on who their customers are and what types of information we want to present to them? Sadly, what had so much promise turned out to be an hour long infomercial about the history of Mint.com and how great it is now. The only tidbits worth passing along are pretty obvious to anyone who has worked with mobile products:

1. Pick your platforms carefully. Know who your customers are, the types of devices they use, and build towards that platform.
2. If you choose to develop an application, don’t waste your time on any of the peripheral distribution mechanisms. Take advantage of the iTunes App Store and the Android Marketplace.
3. If you are delivering a lot of data (as in the case of Mint.com) an application gives you much more presentation control than the mobile web does. If the information you are offering is simple, a mobile-optimized website may be the quickest and easiest solution. Less headaches.

Two other random anecdotes which I found interesting were:

• 20% of Mint.com’s user base is now mobile only. They registered via their mobile phone and view all of their data through their smartphone. Which to me, as a Mint.com user, is fascinating given how rich the web experience is, but it goes to show you how we are evolving.
• When Pandora first started, they were trying to develop apps for every single handset, and for the life of them, they couldn’t figure out why Pandora worked on the black Motorola Razr but not the pink one. Come to find out, the pink Razr used a different chip set than the black one. Consequently, they had to modify their app just for the pink phone. He mentioned this anecdote as an example of how complicated developing an application can be if you choose to go down that road

If I learned anything from the Mint.com panel, it’s to be prepared for some to be worthwhile, and others to be less than so. But as someone mentioned, SXSW is what you make of it. Don’t be afraid to walk out if you’re not happy. Message received.

So, let me summarize the day with a few tips that I learned first-hand:

1. Register for the conference early, and get a hotel downtown. Driving in or catching a shuttle is a pain and doesn’t allow you the ability to take a break when you need one.
2. Have your phone charger with you at all times. My battery was on life support by 3pm, which makes it challenging to do much of anything.
3. Be careful when you are trying to walk and check-in on Foursquare at the same time or you might trip over a sand bag.
4. Drink lots and lots of water to balance out the copious amounts of caffeine and other free beverages you’ll be drinking.
5. Wear comfortable shoes.

You can keep up with the latest by following me on Twitter @psubuzz or Foursquare, reading my SXSW blog series, and catch some of the sights and sounds of SXSW on Flickr.

Three months ago, I was given the green light. A desire of mine for many years was finally being realized. I was going to SXSW.

That was three months ago. Reality set in on Monday when I realized I had to balance three client meetings, an upcoming web launch, and my duties as a father and husband—oh and pack too. As with most of my travels, I thought I could wing it. Show up at the airport and coast, but as I started digging into the upcoming festivities, I realized I had my work cut out for me—scheduling which events I will attend and of course, which parties required an invitation.

All smiles heading to Austin

Planning the next six days was essentially a full-time job. For those of you who have never been, there are about eight to ten time slots a day and about 20-30 speakers potentially at each slot. So, how do you know which ones to attend? Who will be worthwhile and who will put me to sleep? Well in some cases, I guessed. In others, I scheduled three or four options and will stop by whichever event is closest. Either way, I WILL be winging it to a certain degree.

So, as I anxiously await to board my flight and wing my way to a warmer (and drier) climate—know that I will do my best to capture the sights and sounds, as well as the little nuggets I pick up while I’m down there (so check back!) And yes, I’ll be sure to have a bit of BBQ and TexMex for you while I’m there. So long!

For real-time updates, follow me on Twitter at @psubuzz.

Last week, when I walked through the door after a very long day at the zoo (see previous post Microcosmic), my wife greeted me with, “Look at this! What does this look like to you?” And as all of the husbands can relate here—I was immediately on “high alert”, but then to my relief, she followed it up with, “Does this look like a thank you note to you?”

So I take a closer look, and what I thought was one of those cute Christmas cards that contains multiple photos of a happy couple or newborn baby, was actually a thank you note that a couple had sent to my wife and I for the wedding gift we had sent them for their nuptials last September. Granted, I could go off about how badly etiquette was breached on the length of time it took to receive said note, but their tardiness combined with the impersonal picture sans handwritten message, felt like we had just been slapped in the face by the toaster we gave them (actually, I have no idea what we gave them—not my department). And, to add fuel to the fire, we received a lovely thank you card in the same batch of mail from a friend on behalf of her two-year-old’s birthday party we attended the prior weekend. “See! Now that’s a thank you note!” my wife says. Whoops.

So why is this posted here and not as a zinger on my Facebook page or my personal blog? Well, as I talked it through with my wife and attempted to calm her down, I realized that the importance she was placing on a personalized thank you was strikingly similar to what customers expect when engaging with a brand presence online, regardless of the channel.

As loyal customers, we spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars with a brand (heck, it frightens me each time I see how much I’ve spent with Starbucks over the last year—as I type this in a Starbucks). And, when we attempt to engage with that brand through Twitter or Facebook, we expect a personalized response, not just an impersonal message about a weekly special. Brands like the aforementioned Starbucks or Moosejaw get this. They actively listen, and they provide a thoughtful and sometimes—in Moosejaw’s case—irreverent, fun response.

Regardless of how they respond, it’s consistent with their brand personality and it’s timely. And yes, there are many brands that are actively and effectively using online media for customer service (we have all read the case studies), but the fun, personal interactions that Moosejaw makes with its customers quickly forges a relationship that goes beyond a customer-brand relationship.

Social media empowers our customers, but also provides us with yet another channel to make that valuable connection. This is not new information, but it is something we should remind ourselves often. And while we’re at it, we should spend the five minutes or less it takes to write a handwritten note when thanking our friends or family. We really DO care.

As with all best laid plans, I had hoped to write a “2010 in review” post that discussed two projects I enjoyed working on last year several weeks ago, but 2011 began with a bang of “busy” at Grafik, and here I am.

Two website projects that launched in the fall of 2010 that occupied a good bit of my attention throughout the year, could not have been more different than if I had planned it. One client, Localeze, is one of the leaders in the local search industry and largest provider of business listings identity management, while the other, MTN Satellite Communications, aggregates and distributes satellite bandwidth to a wide range of customers. In both instances, our clients needed a website that could speak to a very diverse audience, with each audience consisting of smaller subsets, all with completely different objectives. So, in both instances, the final website had to be organized and designed in such a way that these audience groups could be guided to where they need to go, as efficiently as possible.

And while many of us get a sense of satisfaction when we launch a site that we know will meet our client’s audience and business objectives, it’s also fun to become a temporary subject matter expert through the experience. For example, I had no idea how critical owning your business listing was to a local business, or what “owning” your listing actually meant. If you claim your “identity” through Localeze, you have the ability to complement the usual name, address, and phone number, with additional meta data such as hours of operation, products, social accounts, etc., all with the intention of providing the end customer with the best possible experience. Then, with the partnerships Localeze has in place, they ensure your listing is distributed to all of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, and Bing), as well as the folks you may not think about, like Twitter, Facebook, and others.

Meanwhile, while working with the good people at MTN, I learned that only a handful of companies can provide both telecommunication and internet access anywhere on the planet. MTN just happens to be one of those companies, and not only do they supply internet connectivity to you while you’re cruising the Caribbean on your favorite cruise line, they also support emergency responders and our troops overseas. And it’s not just one satellite that you are connected to, it’s several with different band types, all managed and coordinated by the MTN network that ensures a constant and reliable connection. Oh, and did I mention that they are based down in Miramar, FL? That was a nice, warm discovery meeting.

Though, as exciting as learning about business listing identity management and global satellite networks can be, (and this may sound super corny) I enjoy making new friends along the way. Friends that I know I can call on when I have questions about optimizing Grafik’s business listing or better understanding how I can tweet and update my Facebook status when my wife and I eventually take our first Disney cruise. That’s why I love my job, and am looking forward to the partnerships and launches planned for 2011.

As some of you already know, last Wednesday Google released an update to their search product, called Google Instant, which displays the potential search results page as you type. So, essentially, this new enhancement takes the predictive search interface (where Google took what you were typing and suggested potential search queries for you) one step further by adding the results to those predictive searches.

For example, prior to the release of Google Instant, if I were searching on the term “Redskins Win,” Google would begin to suggest search queries that start with “R-E-D” as seen in the screenshot below.

Now, as I begin to type “R-E-D” Google displays what the search results would be for the first search query in their predictive search suggestions as shown below.

The goal of Google Instant is that it’s supposed to save all of us seconds with each search by guiding us towards the search we really want and save us the trouble of clicking on search or hitting return. Personally, I find it a little annoying as I know what I want to search on and don’t like being interrupted as I’m typing – which is what it is basically doing. So, I will turn it off, (like I did with their personalized search results feature) and you can too if you don’t like it, by clicking on the link next to the search box.

So how does displaying the search results page as you type impact SEO if you are a business depending on SEO for customers? Well, some have gone as far as declaring that this move has “killed SEO.” But claims like this piss me off as much as some of the recent East Coast hurricane forecasts have (another touchy subject with me) since they are ignorant and sensationalistic. However, wild claims like this, while really stirring up the hornets nest, also force people to really think through what Google has done here, and how it impacts SEO marketing strategy.

Because seriously, as some of the more savvier search marketers and even Google’s product manager are pointing out, Google Instant doesn’t kill anything, instead, it forces us as marketers to evolve as the technology evolves. Which is a good thing people! (Unless, quite honestly, you’re lazy). Now, with Google Instant, we’re able to gain insight into tangential keywords that we may have missed before.

For example, say I was a beer aficionado and wanted to optimize my site around “craft brew” keywords. If I start typing “Craft brew” into the Google search field, I now see that “craft brewers alliance” is a top suggested keyword which I might not have known that before. And if this term is relevant to my audience, I may want to have a page on my site devoted to this “alliance” to capture any of my potential audience that might get sidetracked by clicking on this term.

This approach is just one of many new opportunities that have been created for SEOs by this release. I think this Faster Times article actually does a good job explaining a few others and also explains pretty clearly how the fundamentals of SEO have not changed. At the end of the day, it’s all about providing relevant content to a general target audience, and not unique individuals. And while Google Instant may change search behavior, by sending a potential customer down a different relevant pathway than they may have gone down prior to Instant’s release, Google is giving marketers the same opportunity to KNOW what that pathway is and allows us (and you) to provide that same content to our customers.

Having said all of this, in reality, it’s still too early to tell what the broader impact of Google Instant is going to be… and I WISH more people would admit that they don’t know, rather than making grand proclamations that hurt more than they help. But I guess this could be said about many headlines in general, and without these proclamations, we sometimes don’t have much to complain about. And on a Monday morning after a Redskins win over Dallas, I really don’t have much to complain about!

Yes, as is the case in most references to this famous line from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, I have butchered the quote, but the sentiment is there (you can see the original quote here, and the Blazing Saddles rendition here). In fact, watching the famous scene on YouTube has prompted me to fill our lonely Netflix queue with some classics.

But seriously, I’m slowly getting over the novelty of earning badges. I mean, I did feel some satisfaction becoming the mayor of my son’s daycare, and overseeing the cleaners around the corner ensures that I always get my shirts back with no starch, but I’m ready for something tangible. Reward me for being a frequent customer and even more so, reward me for encouraging my friends to visit your shop more often.

Well, from the sound of this article on Mashable yesterday, brands are finally seeing the value in the location-based social networks. And the fact that they have created the “level up” concept so that you are rewarded for your extreme loyalty (St. Elmos, are you listening?) is outstanding. My only concern is that Brightkite, while an early leader in the geolocation services, has fallen way behind Foursquare and Gowalla in brand recognition. So, without the user clout, will the brands stay engaged? Or, will Foursquare follow Brightkite’s lead and encourage their brand partners to provide more value to their users?

As with all things, time will tell and I’ll be watching closely, hoping that perhaps I can score a free coffee or two, or if I’m lucky, perhaps a discount on daycare. Ok, now that’s just crazy.

So it’s been 6 weeks since I last blogged about how I was going to survive without a smartphone and I return to you a few days after I received my iPhone 4 with disappointing news: I failed my little experiment. Listen, I’m not one that admits failure easily or even openly, but I failed this puppy miserably.

If you remember when I last checked in, after going a whole weekend without any kind of phone, my brother took pity on me and loaned me his first generation iPhone. Keep in mind that I really had no other alternative. My plan to get a cheap, basic phone from AT&T didn’t work out, and I needed something to make phone calls with. Besides, I had the best of intentions in the beginning, telling myself I would only use the phone for calls and texting, no apps. But, the temptation was too great. As painful as using the first generation iPhone is, when compared to the speed and GPS ability of the 3G and 3GS, it is far better than not having a smartphone at all.

So yes, I caved completely. It started with making my daily picks using ESPN’s Streak for the Cash app, then I began peeking at the forecast, then (aw heck), why not check my personal email too? But, I DID draw a line in the sand, albeit a faint, barely visible line at that; I refused to add my work email or calender to my phone – though I admit that is more of a lifestyle choice than one made out of scientific experimentation or deprivation.

Even with the limited use of the first gen iPhone, it’s been a tough two months, and it has certainly been an interesting experience. I think that despite our best intentions, many of us become addicted (though “reliant” sounds softer) on our smartphones. Smartphone users must admit that when we see someone pull out a flip phone or some small, plastic, inexpensive phone, we shudder and mutter to ourselves, “poor thing.” We consider that person less savvy than we are and behind the times. We don’t think or say these things because we are mean-spirited people, we just can’t help ourselves – we need our smartphones.

So, I apologize for giving in. I would like to have sat here a few months later a changed man, but alas, I have already gone for a run with my new phone, using my favorite app Runkeeper (who just launched their new website by the way), I am taking advantage of the one inbox and have set up all my email accounts (including work), I have shot a few photos and videos of my son, tweeted, posted to Facebook, and have sorted my apps into neat little folders. I am “reliant” on my iPhone and don’t mind admitting it. Now let’s just hope I don’t drop this one.

Two weeks ago, I began what I called the great iPhone Experiment. You can read the details of this experiment here, but the general gist was that I decided to return my iPhone 3GS to wait for the iPhone 4 due out this summer after seeing the leaked details from Gizmodo. And of course, since that video was leaked, there have been all kinds of legal issues stemming from the “find” and “sale” of the prototype phone. A quick Google search will uncover countless articles bashing the dude who found the phone, but while people are pointing fingers at who did what and who was ultimately wrong, I was about to embark on throwing all smartphones out the window.

The first weekend began without a phone all together, which presented quite the challenge when I had friends in town that I was trying to sync up with. Let me tell you, relying on home email alone to coordinate meetings and activities is a pain in the rear. It turned out that all my numbers for my friends were in my phone which meant that I had no way to call them, and when I went into the city to pick them up from their hotel, I actually had to print a map before I left the house since I couldn’t look it up on my phone using my GPS position.

You see, I had forgotten to ensure that I had a phone to plug my SIM card into after I returned my phone… Fortunately, my brother came to my rescue. And here is where it gets tricky… the phone he had for me to use was the original iPhone. I seriously contemplated telling him no, that I had promised everyone I was going without a smartphone for 2 months, but when you have a 12 month old child, it’s irresponsible to not have a phone, right? I know this is so, my mom made sure to email me and tell me that now was a good time to finally get a landline for our house. Nope, not going to happen…

Anyway, I had to accept the phone from my brother, BUT… I have done so with a few restrictions in place to try and pursue my original intent:

1. I am strictly using the phone to make calls and text message
2. I am not using any of the applications on the phone
3. I have not activated email

I am sure some of you are sitting there asking me what’s the point then? Well, as unnerving as it was to not have a phone for an entire weekend, it was extremely liberating. Likewise, first few days I had the iPhone without any applications or mail was just refreshing, so I wanted to keep that up as long as I could, especially with a family vacation to the Outer Banks about to start 36 hours from now.

And you may think that this is no longer really an experiment, but I will tell you that in the past two weeks, I’ve learned a few things:

1. You don’t really need email on the go. Certainly, I reached for my pocket a few times at first while I’d wait for the elevator or be stopped at a traffic light, but you know what, there are actually people in the elevator to say hello to, and by God, the alone time you get in your car should be cherished given how crazy so many of our lives are these days.
2. It’s a little challenging to get dressed in the morning without knowing exactly what the weather is going to be like. I’ve had to walk downstairs to the computer and actually look up the forecast before leaving the house. The exercise has been welcomed.
3. Speaking of exercise, I DO miss the Runkeeper app as I figured I would. I’ve had to restrict my routes to streets that I can trace on the manual input application for Runkeeper on their website. By the way, have I told you how much I like that application?? Easily one of the best apps for people who like to exercise. Since using it, I’ve run more in the past 3 months than I have in previous years combined.
4. There is more of a responsibility to remember when your meetings and appointments are… I used to rely on checking the calender on my iPhone or receiving a notification to remind me when I had an upcoming meeting. Not so anymore. I actually have to pull up my calendar in the morning and go through the schedule for the day so that I can plan accordingly.
5. Finally, what I have missed the most is the ability to take pictures and videos. If we didn’t have a boy that was about to take his first steps, it might not be as challenging, but for those of you who have kids, you know how remarkable this time of a child’s life is, and how there is so much to capture. Fortunately, my wife still has her phone, and we do have the FlipCam always handy to capture these moments.

Have I missed my Twitter apps? Or Facebook? No, not really. I’m not really one to obsess over what my friends are doing, so Facebook has never been a draw for me in that way. Posting content or checking on things while I’m on my computer is enough. And as far as Twitter goes, I’ve still used the text feature when something strikes me as interesting… like seeing someone rear end another car yesterday afternoon on my run directly in front of the Association for Professional Insurance Agents in Old Town. Now that would have been something to take a picture of and post with my Tweet.

So far so good. If you all still feel that using the iPhone as just a text/call device is within the original intent of my experiment, I will continue to post how this has impacted my smartphone-enabled life. Personally, while the phone may be fancier than others, using it for text/phone only seems to fit the definition of a smartphone, though even Wikipedia lists varying definitions of a smartphone. Either way, I’m going to continue this email-free, more surroundings-aware approach over the next few weeks… oh, and probably have an even better time on the beach because of it. Now, did I put the sun block?

I have a confession to make. I didn’t make it to the AT&T store yesterday at lunch like I had planned. I actually managed to convince myself that I had a few more days, and if I had a few more days, why not go for a run during the afternoon so I could use Runkeeper one last time. So alas, I went to bed one more time with the iPhone safely plugged in at my bedside.

But, today at exactly high noon, I walked into the AT&T store at Potomac Yards, a good friend at my side (for moral support) and returned my iPhone 3GS. Yes, I felt nauseous, I won’t lie. And yes, I probably second-guessed myself about 4-5 times on the drive over to the store, but I’m doing this for YOU everyone… just to see what life is like WITHOUT a smartphone.

Back to the story… Now, I’m not sure if this store is any different from other AT&T stores that you’ve been in, but I would have to say that based on the sales staff on hand, they could have handled the release of the new iPhone without any issues. That is to say, there were about 15 sales staff milling about, and only 3 customers in the store. This has been the case EVERY time I go into the store. Yet, when I drop in on a weekend, there are maybe 5 sales members and 20+ customers. Go figure.

Anyway, the return process was pretty straightforward and quick. No questions asked about why I was returning the phone or if I had any interest in a different phone. In fact, there was really no question about what I was planning on using now that I was returning the phone. Instead, it was, “here is your SIM card, your upgrade credit has been returned to your account, have a great weekend.” So, I walked out of the store feeling a little lighter, and no phone at all in my possession.

So, here I sit, about an hour away from my first weekend without a smartphone, and already I’ve reached for a phone I do not have to check my calendar to see what our family’s plans were for the evening. I imagine this is just the calm before the storm, and I will update you on Monday on how the weekend goes. But I will tell you right now, from a logistical standpoint, not having a phone at all has already created a myriad of problems, especially since my family falls into the “cord cutters” category. Mom, can you send me an email if you want to talk please? Or, figure out how to use AIM? God forbid we’re friends on Facebook… Have a great weekend everyone.