Internet Marketing Conference Vancouver

Last year I spoke at the Internet Marketing Conference Vancouver on a fantastic, spirited social media panel. The reviews must have been good because I will be back for this year's conference, September 16-18. :) Not only will I be participating on the social media panel with Patrick Schwerdtfeger of Tactical Execution and William Azaroff of Vancity again, but we will also be joined by JP Holecka of Powershifter Media and Christopher Berry of Critical Mass. This panel should be even better than last year's as so much has changed in social media and we are joined by JP and Christopher.
I will also have a second session where I will be demonstrating the Radian6 social media monitoring platform.

The conference organizers have been kind enough to provide a 20% discount to readers of this blog for the main conference (the first day, training day is already sold out). Please use discount code: imc-speaker when you register.

Vancouver is a gorgeous city and this is a fantastic conference. I hope to see you there.

The most wonderful time of the year

Staples is bringing back The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, perhaps the most well-known and loved back-to-school television commercial ever created. I can’t believe that the commercial series first ran 15 years ago! As a parent, it is kind of exciting to send the kids back to school. But that’s not what is making the summer doldrums fun in the social media world. Today was panelpicker day for the South by Southwest Interactive Festival. It’s the chance for the social media fishbowl to get its e-ticket to their version of Disney World, SXSWi in March. You’ve heard the stories about the panels, the parties, the technology and the fun! Well, this is a way for social media peeps to get their e-tickets. SXSW is a community driven event, where your voting accounts for about 30% of the decision-making process for any given programming slot. Personally, I find it exciting to read all (well, maybe not all) of the interesting and creative panel proposals from so many talented people.

I am especially intrigued by:

• Tim Walker’s: Hitting Bombs: Better Social Business through Sports Metaphors
• Peter Kim’s: Sponsored Conversations: Good Strategy or Spam?
• Geno Church’s: Engaging Musician’s at Best Buy
• Alan Wolk’s: Don’t Suck: Sound Strategies for the Social Web
• Jim Storer’s: Building Social Strategies at Fortune 100 Companies

There are over 2000 proposals, so it is pretty competitive. With the opening of the voting, SXSW was a hot topic on Twitter with many people asking for votes and promoting their panels. And several people didn’t appreciate it.

Sonny Gill wrote a great post today about the process, SXSW – Panelpicking or panelpimping. It seems that the community was a little overzealous in the pursuit of votes. I appreciate Sonny’s point of view and hope that I can be less intrusive in my solicitation of your vote.

I have been invited to speak with Saul Colt, Zoocasa’s Head of Magic on a topic near and dear to my heart:

Tweet Your Way to Your Next Job

Obviously, we all know that Twitter is more than having a sandwich. Learn from two savvy marketers who used Twitter to further their careers. Saul Colt and Warren Sukernek have each used Twitter effectively to find new positions.

As faithful readers (my wife and kids) know, this is a subject that I have some experience in. Therefore, I’d certainly appreciate your vote. Please vote early and vote often!

Thanks for your help and support! I really appreciate it.

Anne Curtis on Twitter

I am determined to finish the rest of my errands on TO DO List. I love the feeling you get when you cross something off the list! LOVES IT.

When a heart breaks, it don't break even...
8:33 PM Apr 22nd from TwitterBerry

1:01 PM Apr 17th from TwitterBerry

Whatever Anne wants Anne gets :)
8:25 AM Mar 11th from TwitterBerry

Follow Anne Curtis on Twitter

Luuurvethebeast: Margarette Labs

Idlip saves.4:13 AM Aug 9th from web

Oddly enough, I luuurve scaring myself.
9:24 PM Jul 29th from web

I'm bored and boring, confused and confusing.
7:14 AM Jul 19th from web

But like some things, you never came.
8:21 PM Jun 22nd from web

I'm always wondering why my memory sucks.
9:24 PM Jun 19th from web

Work. Work. Work. Love. Love. Love.
2:26 AM Jun 13th from web

Love this beast @ Margarette Labs on twitter

Alessandra De Rossi on Twitter

today is zoo day!!!! please mag-alay tayo ng itlog!!! hahahahaahh! god, stop the rain today!
11:28 PM Aug 5th from Twitterrific

i tweet. i sleep. i miss you all. im busy. i cry.
12:05 PM Aug 3rd from Twitterrific

im your chicano lover. come, shave my bigote.
2:25 AM Jul 29th from Twitterrific

good night. im in love.
10:09 AM Aug 5th from Twitterrific

Follow no-holds-barred Alessandra De Rossi and her trademark frankness on Twitter

Ping Medina Tweets & Pings

Gray long sleeves. Black cotton jeans. Italian shoes. Slick hair... One must be presentable, when paying respects to a late President.
2:09 AM Aug 3rd from TweetDeck

bought powdered Gatorade. 9 gallons yes!
6:24 AM Jul 7th from web

so now i settle for... researching on side swept hairstyles for my character's "new look"... picky picky..
2:32 AM Jul 4th from web

Follow indie darling and actor  Ping Medina on Twitter

Lea Salonga on Twitter

First day of pre-school. No crying. No anxiety. And Nicole was doing fine, too.
10:43 AM Jun 30th from web

@ikmo5 Sorry, I don't do weddings.
10:29 AM Jul 10th from web in reply to ikmo5

Oops... Commandments.
1:05 PM Jun 28th from web

Holy crap! Just found out that a lot of my albums released in the Philippines are now on iTunes!!! WOO-HOOOOO!!!
12:17 PM Jun 24th from web  

I believe that everyone has the fundamental right to head to city hall with the person they love and get married. Period.
9:25 AM Jun 11th from web

I deem it necessary to hurl the occasional expletive... there are times when no other word/s will do.
8:20 PM May 23rd from web

Follow Lea Salonga on Twitter

Regine Velasquez on Twitter

hoping for Ogie's fast recovery :-(
6:12 AM Aug 3rd from web

officially twerson :)
6:24 AM Jul 12th from web

welcome my new tweollowers!!
5:59 AM Jul 12th from web

its flaterring, knowing that David and Charice, most promising young talents today, adores how i sing, sigh...
6:07 AM Jun 21st from web

Stalk Regine Velasquez as she tries to create her own Twitter lingo ;>

KC Concepcion

BEAUTY is what happens between WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT, and that FIRE IN YOUR BELLY.
3:28 PM Jul 20th from web

someone truly important to me just 'drunk-dialled' tonight. it was just da most inspiring thing! im eternally grateful i picked up da phone.
11:13 AM Jul 2nd from web

THANKS pops! fr bein back in my life after 13 yrs of 'forbidden luv'. lol. THANKS dad! for realising i still get a bit jealous sometimes! ;p
4:57 PM Jun 21st from web

Follow showbiz princess KC Concepcion on Twitter

Raymond Gutierrez

to those who are asking, chard doesn't have a twitter account. he's with me now and sends his love to twitterworld.
8:13 AM Jul 18th from web

Met a dog that only understands french at the Heussaff household. Couldn't get my accent right so he wouldn't listen. Felt so pressured!
6:29 AM Jul 15th from TwitterBerry

is a self-confessed techie wannabe. i love gadgets but gadgets dont seem to love me.
12:55 AM Mar 30th from web

Follow the better twin Raymond Gutierrez on twitter

Georgina Wilson on Twitter

im currently so obsessed with owning a balmain jacket.. please fashion Gods please find a way for that to end up in my wardrobe...
2:30 AM Jun 8th from web

Day 8: am finding myself listening to peoples dinner plans with the excitement similar to that of a young boy watching porn for the 1st time
3:14 AM Mar 24th from TwitterBerry

three days left! this is now a mental battle - want to prove to myself that I have the discipline and commitment to finish what I start
4:09 AM Mar 23rd from web

Follow Georgina Wilson on Twitter

Katwo Puertollano Tweets!

Thou shall not use the masses as an excuse for bad television, unsavory advertising and terrible pop music.
7:32 AM Aug 4th from web

GMA is so excited that she looks like she's gonna shit herself all over that White House chair
3:27 AM Jul 31st from web

hell, i wanna do ad campaigns for ever bilena. yeah i said it.
10:19 AM Jul 30th from web

Kung national artist si Carlos J Caparas, e di lahat tayo pwede na maging national artist!
8:05 AM Jul 30th from web

Manila Art Fair was fun. Realized it's easier to make money from art than music.
12:48 PM Jul 16th from web

Hey follow Katwo on twitter!

ESPN WTF???

Yesterday I read how the NFL was fining players who tweeted from training camp. I guess that is not surprising since the NFL is the most buttoned-up sports league and I doubt that they really get social media. As we've seen countless times, all command and control messaging. So I guess Mark Sanchez won't be tweeting during halftime a la Shaq or CV31 here.
But to see this tweet from ESPN's Ric Bucher, now that's a shock. Pretty bizarre and not very fan friendly, if you ask me.

And I agree with Twitter newbie :) Robert Scoble. This is very lame!

What do you think? Is this the new trend in uptight sports and the media who covers them?






8/4 Evening Update
------------------------
A more detailed Follow-up from the NY Times,

"The guidelines are more detailed than Bucher described them. But they restrict the freedom that ESPN employees might previously have enjoyed.

“We’ve been in the social networking space for a long time, and will continue to be there,” said Chris LaPlaca, an ESPN spokesman. “But we want to be smarter about how we do it.” He said that Bucher’s “interpretation of the policy is mistaken.”

The guidelines say that on-air talent, reporters and writers are prohibited from having sports-related blogs or Web sites and that they will need a supervisor’s approval to discuss sports on any social networking sites. They will also be restricted from discussing internal policies or detailing how stories are “reported, written, edited or produced.”

And from Mashable, a detailed report on ESPN's social media guidelines and Nate Smeltz, ESPN Publicist twitter response.