SlyBrand

Okay, so my last post needs a little explanation. I started Twittering a week ago Sunday last Sunday night. Right smack-dab in the middle of what’s probably the biggest Twitter-lovefest ever known to man, SXSWi. Okay, I admit. I’m what they call a “lurker”. But I’m a recovering lurker after the chain of events that has happened to me since then. I lived vicariously through several people I was following, and through the #sxsw trend as people listened to keynotes, twittered each other, hit the Google and Facebook parties. I was even at the Tumblr post-party, in spirit, as Gary Vaynerchuck served up his “10 bottles of $85 dollar wine” to a buzzing crowd. All thanks to Twitter. And while that was fun and all, It just furthered my status as a hopeless Twitter lurker.

As SXSW came to a close, and I was winding down my friend-add-frenzy, I noticed a strange tweet come across my deck. Tennessee, huh? So I followed, via Twitter, Whitney Hess to my home town, and the Information Architecture Summit in Memphis. It was mind-boggling to me to get from there to here that way. I honestly didn’t even know IAS was happening in Memphis, much more, I didn’t even know what IAS was. But, I hung in there. And listened carefully to what was being live tweeted at the conference. I think it was the “Evolve or Die-The Future of IA Examined” with Christina Wodtke, Joshua Porter, Gene Smith and Russ Unger that sealed the deal. And by “sealed the deal” I mean—made me break out into cold sweats on a Friday afternoon and rethink my career.

I’ve always been a “graphic designer” or a “art director” sometimes, an “artist” even. BUT, this new term came out of those live tweets. “User Experience Designer.” And I like the sound, and idea of that a lot better than the previous monikers.

Anyway, to make a short story long, I’m not putting a plug in for Twitter, or SXSW so much as I am for the little conference that could, IAS2009—in the little city that could, Memphis. Thanks to all my new friends that let me add them and that added me last weekend. Thanks again to all who live tweeted IAS09. Thank you all for being the tipping point I needed to make Google my résumé. I promise not to lurk anymore, because now, I am one of you.