So check out these videos of Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West performing for an audience of 50,000 at BBC Radio 1′s massive Hackney Festival in London on Saturday. My husband, Bill Haddad (aka: “Mr. Weenie”), was the Technical Designer on the design/production team for this performance. The festivities continue on Sunday when rapper Tinie Tempah takes the stage.
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Ilene Haddad Guest Blog!
Learn about the first SXSWedu Blogger Lounge at the Hilton Austin Downtown, March 6-8.
Hi folks! My name’s Ilene Haddad, better known in the social media world by my Twitter handle, @IleenieWeenie. I began using social media in 2008 for networking and promoting my graphic design business. To help alleviate the isolation of working from home, I started a casual coworking group with the friends I met through social media.
My attraction to the collaborative nature of coworking led to the creation of a day-long mini-conference, #BlogthonATX. Entrepreneurs, educators, personal bloggers and professionals throughout Texas gather twice a year to learn about social media, blogging, technical trends, P.R., marketing, and much more.
This year at SXSWedu, my team and I have been tasked with hosting a new feature called the Bloggers’ Lounge. A pared down version of #BlogathonATX, the lounge is a place where attendees can stop by to catch up on a little work, write, relax and network. You don’t have to be a blogger to enjoy some downtime during a busy day.
Lounge representatives will be on hand for those who’d like to chat about social media, blogging platforms, search engine optimization strategies, technology in education, gardening, soccer, wine… you get the idea. Of course you’re also welcome to just kick back and check your email.
Whether you’re an experienced blogger interested in sharing information on the latest trends or a brand new blogger learning the basics, we’re here to help. Want to start a Twitter account? Stop by, and we’ll fix you right up. Blog curious? Come see what the fuss is all about. We have a host of on- and off-line resources to help you navigate the sea of information out there.
The Blogger Lounge is being held in room 417A from 8:30am – 6:00pm Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 8:30am-1:00pm on Thursday.
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Listen to my interview with Terry Grier, producer of When in Austin, as we discuss social media, blogging and Jay-Z. The audio runs about 35 minutes. Hopefully my mom will listen to the whole thing. Hopefully.
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Thanks to Laura Lorek with Silicon Hills News for this great video/article about #BlogathonATX. I especially like the tweets at the bottom.
Ilene Haddad held her third BlogathonATX on Oct. 1st at Link Coworking on Austin’s north side.The event, which ran from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., was the largest yet, she said. About 100 people showed up to eat, drink, network, blog and attend training sessions.
The background on the event:
About a year ago, Ilene Haddad, started the first BlogathonATX because she wanted to meet other bloggers and learn from them.
“I”m not a good or consistent blogger,” Haddad said. “I was looking for accountability.”
Apparently, a whole lot of other Austin area bloggers wanted to network with others too. The first BlogathonATX sold out within a few days, Haddad said.
“It exploded overnight,” she said. “Obviously I wasn”t the only one that needed a little help.”
Haddad, a graphic designer for 20 years, has blogged for the past 2 years.
“I love to write so much,” Haddad said. ” I just started to write about all sorts of things. It”s my take on day to day stuff.”
Her blog has benefitted from the community that gathers at BlogathonATX, she said. The first event, held in August of 2010 sold out and so did the second event, held last January. The third BlogathonATX takes place on Saturday, Oct. 1 starting at 9 a.m. and running until 9 p.m. at Link Coworking . This time, Haddad is expecting more than 100 people, up from 60 at the last two events. This was the largest #BlogathonATX ever with 100 bloggers registered to attend. During #BlogathonATX, plenty of people produced posts about the event or just wrote blog posts. But Haddad did not. She has yet to blog at a #BlogathonATX.
rehor: At The Crossing of Marketing & IT, a summary of the #BlogathonATX V-Blogging session by @Talmadge – http://t.co/RB6phFt3
The food was a big hit at #BlogathonATX and prompted lots of tweets about the eats.
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So here I sit, waiting for people to show up to my event: #BloungeATX Bloggers’ Lounge. There are currently four of us here, and I have food to feed 50+. What the hell am I going to do with 100 chicken wings and 75 corn dog bites? Well, first I’m going to eat. A LOT. As far as my pride goes, meh, I’ll survive. I’ve certainly learned to deal with embarrassment before. Here are just three examples:
1. I insisted on throwing a going away party in my modest home for two VERY popular friends. There were other offers of venues, but I just had to be the hostess with the mostest. The result? 65-year-old women sitting on my living room floor—classy.
2. In preparing to give a talk about graphic design to a group of association executives, I spent so much time making sure my presentation slides were perfect, that I neglected to actually practice my speech. The result? Perhaps the crappiest presentation of all time. Seriously. It was legendary.
3. I used to teach a graphic design course at a community college. Some of my colleagues told me I needed to be tough on the students. As in most things Weenie, I overshot it a bit and became known as the Mussolini of the art department. The result? One of my student reviews called me “The worst teacher ever.”
So there you have it. The examples are endless, but the lesson is always the same: If you plan on getting too big for your britches, be prepared to eat a whole lot of corn dog bites.
**Postscript: #BloungeATX attendance increased considerably throughout the day, though I did end up eating a LOT of bar food. I get to do this all over again tomorrow, so stop on by!
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Two nights before BlogathonATX, I had a dream that I was tied to a tower while hundreds of vultures circled around me. They seemed to think I was dead, so one landed nearby and started making its way toward me. I struggled to move so he’d know I wasn’t dead, but apparently I wasn’t just tied up—I was paralyzed too…
How’s that for an anxiety dream?
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