The River

The personal professional blog of Pamela Parker -- musings on marketing, advertising, media and technology.

Social

Twitter: The Heart Is Smart

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Since the announcement yesterday, there’s been a lot of discussion about Twitter’s decision to change its “favorite” icon from a star to a heart. So, I thought I’d join the fray with a brief commentary.

I’ve been on Twitter a long time, but I wasn’t one of those who participated in crafting the way the service was used.


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Speaking In The Next Month

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It’s going to be a busy few weeks — and it’s already started!

Tomorrow, SMX East begins in NYC, and it’s still possible to register on site — or get free expo passes that include admission to certain sessions.

Then, next month (which is coming up rapidly), I’ll be in the Dallas area with some notable industry figures for the Local Social one-day event, benefiting traumatic brain injury research.

More to come, but hope to see you somewhere!

SXSW Interactive: Beyond The Hype

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sxsw-squareAs much as people love SXSW, there’s definitely a backlash. Some blame the conference for the ever-growing tide of immigrants to Austin, which is stressing infrastructure and heightening fears about water shortages. Others decry it as just another tech conference, or bemoan the hipster factor. (Can you tell I’m a local now?)

I see more and more people tweeting with dread (myself among them) rather than excitement about the event, so it seems we all need to take it down a notch.

Remember that, at heart, SXSW is still a “festival” — not a conference. Where else would you find panel discussions on things like: “Making More of Ourselves – Sensory & Multimodal UX,” “Unearthing the Atari Graveyard: The Search for ET,” and, um, “Orgasm: The Broadband of Human Connection“? (Heck, there’s even a Ping Pong Tournament.) [Read more…] about SXSW Interactive: Beyond The Hype