Why South by Southwest Matters

People keep asking me why the annual South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference is supposed to be "all that" for everything tech, social media and Internet. Twitter emerged from the sessions in 2007 and location-based network Foursquare in 2009. The glorious city of Austin, Texas is prepping for the 2012 geek assault even as you read this.

Even if I'd known about my city's StartUp Bus to Austin, I doubt I'd have joined them. This year the riders are broadcasting live daily at CoolCleveland.com as they "conceive, build and launch a startup" over the course of their 72-hour ride. Nah. Too much stress for the Goddess. A nice airplane, please.

This year, geeks and moviegoers are the first to overrun Austin. Interactive runs March 9-13 with the Film festival overlapping somewhat on March 9-17. The following week, it's the musicians' turn (March 13-18). Somehow it's been a year since I was there. I know I'll return, and frankly, consecutive attendance might make my head explode. Because here's how I answer the question about the SXSW magic dust:

In March 2011 I arrived in Austin as the widest-eyed newbie with a brand new messenger bag. You might have seen me; it's kind of purple. All I knew was that I was pulled to Texas as sure a magnet likes your frig. I certainly couldn't afford the weeklong trip. I describe the experience as grad school in 5 days, where the student to your left may be the next Bill Gates and the woman in front of you is already a tech superstar, but you don't know her. "South by" was like Hogwarts because surely the very air holds a contagious cloud of action and possibility.

In that very fertile environment, I mentioned a personal complaint about the Internet that group feedback prounounced An Idea.

Welcome to March 2012. I am one of 10 women competing for a $25,000 low-interest loan... to bring that idea to life.

Thank you, Austin.

Pinterest for Business: It Could Work.

Buzz is spreading about Pinterest...the online bulletin board for your every whim. Find a video, website, link, photo..."pin it" to your board and let the world see. To randomly browse through Pinterest is like flipping through a never-ending magazine, or as one blogger put it, like walking through a mall. This infographic might give you some ideas for more practical applications.

Pinterest Infographic, an Infographic by Linchpin SEO

Lessons for Communicators Are Everywhere, Even In a Racist Email

Wasn't I surprised when Black History Month 2012 ended yesterday with this headline breaking from Helena, Montana:

"CHIEF U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE SENDS RACIALLY CHARGED EMAIL ABOUT PRESIDENT"

Yes. A United States federal judge, nominated by former President George W. Bush, emailed this to friends from his courthouse computer:

"A little boy said to his mother, 'Mommy how come I'm black and you're white?' His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!'"

Ah, but here's the best part: Judge Richard Cebull (right) admitted that the email is racist even as he denied being racist himself. "The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president. I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama."

OK, communicators. Let's recap:

• If you KNOW a message is wrong (i.e., racist, sexist, bullying), here's a clue: Don't send it. Find another way to make your point.

• We've been emailing since the 80s and still we don't learn. The L.A. Times received the judge's email after it had been forwarded dozens of times. And still, the judge remarked that he is "surprised" that the email was forwarded with his name attached. Really?
  

• As your mother should have instructed you long ago, one's reputation is easy to stain and hard to repair. Judge Cebull has said, "This is a private thing that was, to say the least, very poor judgment on my part. Although it is racist, I'm not that way, never have been." Do you believe him? I never will.

• When people of color persist in stating that racism exists in the highest, most powerful corners of our nation, believe them. Would you want to be a Black man on trial before a judge who, according to the Montana Human Rights Network, "distribut[ed] a joke that basically compares African Americans with animals"?