I don’t consider myself any sort of new media expert. It is that sole reason, I decided to pursue my graduate degree. I mean, sure, I use new media as well as social media but I didn’t really understand the in’s and out’s of it. So when I submitted my essay to be considered for the SXTXState project, I did wonder if I would be out of my depth but I figured what better way to learn than to be thrown into the deep end. Participating in this SXTXState project has turned out to be the best decision I’ve made during my degree yet.

Not Just for the Techies

I think the biggest misconception about SXSW Interactive is that it’s only for techies. That if you’re not some sort of tech or interactive ‘guru’, you won’t ‘get it’. The truth is yes, if you’re in that line of work, this conference is your playground, but this should also be your playground if you’re in any sort of marketing or communications field. I come from a broadcasting and marketing background. There are thousands of panels held over the course of the 5 days. I didn’t manage to get to every single one that I would have liked to. Even so, every single panel I did attend gave me something to take away and apply to my field and industry.

The Lessons

There are so many lessons I have taken away from this year’s panels. Interestingly, a lot of them have repetitive themes and takeaways.

• Second screen should no longer be seen as a compliment to appointed TV programming but rather a necessity.
• People no longer follow organizations on social media but rather notable individuals from organizations.
• Social media, interestingly, is NOT the place to sell your product or brand but rather to ‘make friends’ and gain a following who will buy your product when you sell it through another medium.
• However fancy your platform, content is still King!
• Generation Y is colorblind when it comes to the way they identify themselves. If you want to reach them, speak to them through their lifestyles, not their ethnicities.
• Music still crosses all sorts of boundaries.
• The most effective voice on social media is the human voice, so stay personal.

It’s Not Just All About Learning

Of course, when you go to SXSW Interactive, you look forward to learning new things and possibly having your mind blown, but expect to have some fan-boy and fan-girl moments too.  I was fortunate enough to meet a few celebrities including Sgt Slaughter of WWE fame. (World Wrestling Entertainment for the uninitiated). Coincidentally, it was my day to use the brand new Google Glass too, so I managed to catch the entire experience on video too.

Meeting Sgt Slaughter – A Google Glass Experience

The Bottom Line                                                                                                  

SXSW Interactive is an awesome conference that everyone should try and attend and Texas State’s SXTXState is an amazing course to participate in if you’re a Mass Communication’s graduate student. I began the course unsure but ended up feeling more than adequate when actually at the conference. (My ah-ha moment was when chatting to someone I had met at SXSW, he said that he worked for a company that did UX and apologized as he  wasn’t sure if I knew what that meant – but I did!)

So if you’re reading this at the end of 2014 wondering if you should apply for the course in 2015, do it! And if you’ve already been selected for it, you’re in for an eye opener!