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My Rules for Panelists: Discussion Panels
Oct 13th
At the last minute, I got asked to lead a few extra panels at BlogWorld this week. As a result, I needed to structure, chat with and open up a bunch of panels really quickly. I’ve always structured panels I moderate in a similar way, but decided that codifying it for my panelists would both save me time and give them some advanced notice (since some only got this 2 days before the conference!).
Personally, I prefer to lead discussions vs canned presentations. I also prefer to ask the audience where they are at on a subject (show of hands) so we can tailor the discussion to their needs.
With that in mind, here are my rules for panelists (my rules for moderators are simple: provide value to the audience, make the panelists look smart, be entertaining, keep the discussion on track):
1 HOUR PANEL
- 000-005 – welcome & introductions (30 seconds each) & audience polling
- 005-015 – Biggest Mistake & Most Important Win
- 015-025 – Discussion
- 025-035 – Awkward Questions From Jeremy AKA Continuing Discussion
- 035-050 – Audience Q&A
- 050-100 – Wrapup Statements & Thank You
JEREMY’s RULES FOR PANELISTS
- Have fun
- Don’t agree on everything
- This is a DISCUSSION, don’t be too polite
- This is a COMMUNITY, don’t be rude
- Engage the audience, they’re not just relatively pretty faces
- We’re guests, the audience is the star
- Everyone has an opinion. Bring an example or twelve too.
- Be funny. a. Don’t mock midgets (lessons learned the hard way…)
- Ask each other questions, and ask the audience questions.
- DO NOT CONFERENCE SPAM
QUESTIONS FOR PANELISTS
- Are you okay with your short bio (provided earlier)
- Official title, Twitter ID, website
- Is there anything specific you’d like to cover
- Is there anything specific you DON’T want to cover/to avoid
- Is there a rumour about another panelist I should know about?
THOUGHTS?
I’d love your feedback on this, especially as I’m leading a bunch of discussions with this structure!
Bringing the SOCIAL Back to Social Media: BlogWorld
Oct 7th
Reposted from the BlogWorld blog:
Too often, Social Media is about the MEDIA: spreading the word, getting more followers, making money, growing your traffic, blah, blah, blah, #facepalm… Every once in awhile, though, it’s nice to do the SOCIAL side of the equation, which is what I’m proposing today!
This is the 4th BlogWorld I’ve been to. Each time there are lots of new faces, and everytime they’re just a bit timid, bit scared, bit confused or just a bit… special (sorry @tedmurphy). And while I try my best to show people where session rooms are, to recommend hotels and find cheaper airfare, to publish lists of parties and to hand out my phone number should people need help (416 726 3602 by the way), as Darkwing Duck said: I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the batteries that are not included.
So, let’s scale this helping people thing. Lots of BWE veterans like to help, and even if you’re new you probably know more than you think you do, so let’s use and follow a hashtag on Twitter: #bwehelps. If you have a question, ask it of the hashtag and I will be checking it. Who else will be checking it? Well if you have more than just your mom following you on Twitter (to be fair, my mom stopped following me years ago!) then you should be. Follow it on your mobile and Twitter client. Give back. Be helpful. Smile!
Let’s be a community. Let’s help. Let’s have some fun. No blogger left behind!
Photo by nicht mehr hier @Flickr
Football? Me? Erm… No Comment…
Nov 3rd
To any of my friends, it’s no secret that I’ve never liked football. Hell, I’ve publicly mocked it on stage, on Twitter and in conversations. Even to professional football players. I’m classy like that. Classy, I tell ya!
However recently I decided to give football (NFL, not CFL!) a real shot and watch a full game. Why isn’t important. Neither is it important why I chose the New Orleans Saints to cheer for. But I did. Not a bad team to pick, they were 5-0 going into last week’s game against the Dolphins, and having been to NOLA in the recent past, I felt it was a good game/team/time to give the sport a serious shot.
This had to hurt…So what happened? What did I think of America’s pastime? Is it still on par with baseball in my mind, or is it a real sport?
If you aren’t sure, I highly suggest reviewing my Twitter stream from last night’s Saints/Falcons game. Cause, erm, I was clearly into it. I’ve now watched 2 games in a row, both highly emotional, highly charged games, and I think I’ve realized why I didn’t give football it’s due before:
- I didn’t grow up in the states: this should go without saying, but the reality is Canadians don’t get excited about football. We’ve never been to a tailgater. We probably can’t even name 3 QBs (hell, half of us probably think you’re talking about a certain smelly province of ours).
- Football is a social game: now, most sports are best watched with others. But watching a NEW sport alone? Not so hawt. Twitter changes this. Being able to chat with Aaron and jam with other Saints fans during the game is a whole nother expeirence!
- I had no emotional ties to the teams: I’m a Leafs fan. Always will be. Even this year when they’re playing like the farking Ducks. I’m a Leafs fan cause I AM CANADIAN and I AM TORONTONIAN. It’s what we do. How we roll. Why we’re idjuts. I had no emotional connection to any NFL teams or cities, so there was no emotional investment in the game – which always makes the game 10x better. Don’t believe me? Try watching women’s lacrosse.
Since I’ve now watched a game, have folk I can talk to during games and have a team/city I care about… well, football is a very different experience. And, as much as it pains me to say it: it’s an experience I actually enjoy.
I can’t say I’ll watch every Saints game. I won’t. I can’t even say I’ll follow the stats religiously, cause I won’t. But, like the Leafs, if a game’s on, or a friend invites me over, or I snag tickets: I’ll be there and prepared. I won’t become a football freak like Aaron, but I will no longer mock the sport. Specially when the saints are playing.
Cleaning Out My Domain Portfolio (7 Domains for Sale)
Aug 26th
Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m an addict. I buy domains for any idea. Even expensive .it ones ($75 for a domain?!!). But while I’m an addict, I’m not a complete packrat, so I figure it’s time to look at selling some of the domains I had plans for, but no longer plan to use anytime soon.
So, in the spirit of both spring cleaning (a bit late) and, y’know, letting friends/family get first crack at stuff before putting them up for public sale, here are the domains I’m currently looking at selling:
- blogbacker.com
- blogbackers.com
- blog-consultant.com
- blog-consutlants.com
- bloggerlunch.com
- cellephony.com
- geekrank.com
If you’re interested, feel free to email me an offer and we’ll get it done :)
Best Out of Office Replies Evar
Aug 24th
I wonder what’d happen if I actually did one of these…
1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.
3. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from holiday on 4 April. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
4. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged £5.99 for the first ten words and £1.99 for each additional word in your message.
5. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and trysending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over).
6. Thank you for your message, which has been adde d to a queuing system… You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
7. I’ve run away to join a different circus.
8. I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons… When I return, please refer to me as “Margaret” instead of “Steve”.
