Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
Geek Out Category
“Wah, GEEK OUT! Le geek, c’est chic!” This is the category that reveals my geekier side. You may not understand what I’m talking about, or you may think I’m revealing just how technologically un-savvy I really am, depending on who you are and what your own geeky proclivities may be.
Do you find your fans/followers creepy?
15
Mar
2008
In: Geek Out
The other day, I got this question in a comment: “Do you find your fans/followers creepy? the ones you don’t know?”
The think the question was mostly meant in terms of Twitter, where the answer is most definitely no. I have two accounts: the one that’s private (it’s linked to my cell phone, and where I share Dodgeball-style updates about my location) and the new, public account that’s wide open and more a microblog. Granted, when I was at SXSW I was sharing my locations on that Twitter feed, but I was always with big groups of folks and never had any real concerns about being stalked.
So in terms of Twitter, the key for me is maintaining boundaries between the two separate accounts: the one for my “real life” folks, and the one for my internet friends/random strangers. (On this note: beloved internet friends, don’t be miffed if your follow request is denied for my private account.)
But to open the question to a larger context … the answer is a little bit more convoluted.
Read the rest of this entry »
- 10 Comments
- Tags: blogging, faq, privacy, twitter
It just wouldn’t be fun without a few WTF/oops moments, right?
* The Hampton in Austin not only has no wifi, not only has just one plug in each room, not only has a password you have to enter, but then has the audacity to then change the password every couple of days. Why do you need to change the password if people have to be physically connected to your ethernet?
* Monday night I had a fragrance accident and went out over-drenched in Karma. Comments included, “What’s that hippie shit you smell like, girl?” and “You smell nice” (translation: “Holy shit, I can smell you from all the way over here”).
* At one point I got on a wild rant about a douchebag I’d met earlier. For effect, I pulled out said ‘bag’s business card, joking as I did so, “You probably know this guy.” And yes, he was totally a colleague of the nice people to whom I was talking.
* I missed Henry Jenkins‘ keynote because I was eating a lackluster veggie burger.
- 5 Comments
- Tags: regrets, sxsw
All in gerunds! (Side note: it still gives me great pleasure to think about how I was laid off from one of my first paid editorial gigs for overuse of gerunds. It’s telling that, at the time, I didn’t even know what a gerund was. HA!)
- Singing one word of karaoke in the RVIP. The one word was Xanadu. Over and over. Plus I think I sang the word “in” a couple times.
- Getting a sunburn while chewing over authenticity, oversharing, politics, rapture, transparency, agents, etc with Baratunde.
- Having the opportunity to share this story at Fray Cafe.
- Enjoying a fabulous dinner with The Hearns at a chain restaurant that shall not be named.
- Hours of late night chatter with Alison in the 2-acre king sized bed we shared
- People watching at Mohawk
- Sleeping 9 hours almost every night. (Sleep deprivation stopped being glamorous for me around 1998.)
- Smelling like dryer sheets with James
- Finally getting to meet a whole ass-load of people who remember reading my website when it looked like this.
- Mis-recognizing Jenville (I knew her face, saw the black bob and thought “Is that Diablo Cody in town for SXSW Film?”)
- Sitting on the floor for 20×2 — which had an enforced two-minute time limit that I really appreciated
- Pulling faces during a photoshoot with Rannie.
- Finally using Twitter the way it was intended.
I took approximately 10 photos, half of which didn’t turn out. I also managed to stay out of many other people’s photos, which makes me feel like I lucked out since everyone joked about “What happens at SXSW stays on Flickr.” Be glad there are no photos of me, bug-eyed and sweating during hour 8 of that late night alcohol/caffeine binge.
I head back home today, and then will be deliciously unplugged tonight with the fabulous wünderspousen.
- 11 Comments
- Tags: bloggers, conference, networking, sxsw
SXSW: saturation point
11
Mar
2008
In: Geek Out
I’m starting to feel like a sponge that’s been sitting in a sink for a little too long. Wring me out! Wring me out!
- 1 Comment
- Tags: over-stimulated, sxsw
Add Electrolicious on Twitter if you want to follow along!
- 0 Comments
- Tags: sxsw, twitter
Headed to SXSW
6
Mar
2008
In: Geek Out
For five years I’ve been trying to convince employers to send me to SXSW Interactive. I’ve been told everything from “Doesn’t relate to your job” to “You haven’t been here long enough for us to send you anywhere” to “We don’t have the money for that kind of thing.” But now! Finally! I have a job that relates, that I’ve been at for a year, with a company that has the budget to send me. I fly to Austin tomorrow. I’ve never been to Texas.
I’m rooming with Alison, and other than storytelling at Fray Cafe 8 on Sunday, I have absolutely no idea where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing at any time. But maybe I’ll see you there!
- 11 Comments
- Tags: conferences, networking, sxsw
Do you find your fans/followers creepy?
15 Mar 2008 In: Geek OutThe other day, I got this question in a comment: “Do you find your fans/followers creepy? the ones you don’t know?”
The think the question was mostly meant in terms of Twitter, where the answer is most definitely no. I have two accounts: the one that’s private (it’s linked to my cell phone, and where I share Dodgeball-style updates about my location) and the new, public account that’s wide open and more a microblog. Granted, when I was at SXSW I was sharing my locations on that Twitter feed, but I was always with big groups of folks and never had any real concerns about being stalked.
So in terms of Twitter, the key for me is maintaining boundaries between the two separate accounts: the one for my “real life” folks, and the one for my internet friends/random strangers. (On this note: beloved internet friends, don’t be miffed if your follow request is denied for my private account.)
But to open the question to a larger context … the answer is a little bit more convoluted.
Read the rest of this entry »
- 10 Comments
- Tags: blogging, faq, privacy, twitter
It just wouldn’t be fun without a few WTF/oops moments, right?
* The Hampton in Austin not only has no wifi, not only has just one plug in each room, not only has a password you have to enter, but then has the audacity to then change the password every couple of days. Why do you need to change the password if people have to be physically connected to your ethernet?
* Monday night I had a fragrance accident and went out over-drenched in Karma. Comments included, “What’s that hippie shit you smell like, girl?” and “You smell nice” (translation: “Holy shit, I can smell you from all the way over here”).
* At one point I got on a wild rant about a douchebag I’d met earlier. For effect, I pulled out said ‘bag’s business card, joking as I did so, “You probably know this guy.” And yes, he was totally a colleague of the nice people to whom I was talking.
* I missed Henry Jenkins‘ keynote because I was eating a lackluster veggie burger.
- 5 Comments
- Tags: regrets, sxsw
All in gerunds! (Side note: it still gives me great pleasure to think about how I was laid off from one of my first paid editorial gigs for overuse of gerunds. It’s telling that, at the time, I didn’t even know what a gerund was. HA!)
- Singing one word of karaoke in the RVIP. The one word was Xanadu. Over and over. Plus I think I sang the word “in” a couple times.
- Getting a sunburn while chewing over authenticity, oversharing, politics, rapture, transparency, agents, etc with Baratunde.
- Having the opportunity to share this story at Fray Cafe.
- Enjoying a fabulous dinner with The Hearns at a chain restaurant that shall not be named.
- Hours of late night chatter with Alison in the 2-acre king sized bed we shared
- People watching at Mohawk
- Sleeping 9 hours almost every night. (Sleep deprivation stopped being glamorous for me around 1998.)
- Smelling like dryer sheets with James
- Finally getting to meet a whole ass-load of people who remember reading my website when it looked like this.
- Mis-recognizing Jenville (I knew her face, saw the black bob and thought “Is that Diablo Cody in town for SXSW Film?”)
- Sitting on the floor for 20×2 — which had an enforced two-minute time limit that I really appreciated
- Pulling faces during a photoshoot with Rannie.
- Finally using Twitter the way it was intended.
I took approximately 10 photos, half of which didn’t turn out. I also managed to stay out of many other people’s photos, which makes me feel like I lucked out since everyone joked about “What happens at SXSW stays on Flickr.” Be glad there are no photos of me, bug-eyed and sweating during hour 8 of that late night alcohol/caffeine binge.
I head back home today, and then will be deliciously unplugged tonight with the fabulous wünderspousen.
- 11 Comments
- Tags: bloggers, conference, networking, sxsw
SXSW: saturation point
11 Mar 2008 In: Geek OutI’m starting to feel like a sponge that’s been sitting in a sink for a little too long. Wring me out! Wring me out!
- 1 Comment
- Tags: over-stimulated, sxsw
Add Electrolicious on Twitter if you want to follow along!
- 0 Comments
- Tags: sxsw, twitter
Headed to SXSW
6 Mar 2008 In: Geek OutFor five years I’ve been trying to convince employers to send me to SXSW Interactive. I’ve been told everything from “Doesn’t relate to your job” to “You haven’t been here long enough for us to send you anywhere” to “We don’t have the money for that kind of thing.” But now! Finally! I have a job that relates, that I’ve been at for a year, with a company that has the budget to send me. I fly to Austin tomorrow. I’ve never been to Texas.
I’m rooming with Alison, and other than storytelling at Fray Cafe 8 on Sunday, I have absolutely no idea where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing at any time. But maybe I’ll see you there!
- 11 Comments
- Tags: conferences, networking, sxsw
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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