Live from SXSW!  I tried to collect some of the top thoughts that I believe will be value add for me from SXSW!

1.  “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time around.  You are your (Social) Network.”  Social networking is fun, but also important.  Do you know the top 5 people that you spend time with in the “real” world. and the top 10 people you read in the blogsphere?

2.  Rappers are more engaging on social because, unlike brands, their presence isn’t micromanaged or designed in a boardroom.  Their brands emerge and are basically crowdsourced.   How am I using crowdsourcing at work and personally?   Something to think about! Reputation building has become democratized and small cos can punch above weight in it.

3.  Don’t just take things out — Don’t confuse subtraction with simplification.  With so much information, your message needs to be simple to understand.  However, simplicity isn’t just taking what you have and taking stuff out.  It needs to be rethought.   Mark Twain said ” I would have written a shorter book if I had had more time.”

4.  Digital isn’t a medium, it’s the age we’re in!   I agree.  So how does that change the way we think, work, and function.  I still see too many people keeping social over to the side, and not embedding it into their workflow.  How can I help more people see this point of view?!

5.  Transmedia needs to be a part of your strategy.  (new term for me!)  TV Show Top Chef used transmedia to redefine online engagement…lots of lessons. Pull, push, engage and get all media working together.  Amen!   All media is crucial for success.  Just one won’t work in our attention deficit society!

More later but I wanted to share as I went!