I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas this year. It’s been on my bucket list for quite some time, and it’s basically Heaven for fans of tech, music, and film.

The event is a two-week whirlwind (I attended the Interactive portion from March 8-12), during which thousands of attendees descend upon Austin to learn, network, and soak up some of the unique, offbeat culture the city has to offer. The days are filled with panel sessions, with each narrowly focused on a particular area of the tech, music, or film industries. The nights are filled with parties and shows. (Shout-out to the Foursquare party! So epic.)

SXSW is much more of a festival than a conference; no one’s walking around in stuffy suits and ties. While there’s certainly a structure, the greatest value, in my opinion, comes from the conversations that happen between panels and during the parties. Networking opportunities are everywhere, and I was amazed at how willing people were to share their stories and advice.

A few key takeaways: (1) Talk to people. If you’re waiting in line for a session, hanging out at a party, or just spot someone you know from Twitter (trust me, it’s not that creepy here), just say hi. I promise you won’t regret it. (2) Accept the fact that you’ll be running on little sleep. You can sleep when you get home; go to that early panel or stay a bit later at that party. Essentially, YOLO. (3) See as much of Austin as you can. It’s an incredible city that’s quite an up-and-comer in the tech, music, and film worlds. It’s worth it to take some time to explore the area. Oh, and eat copious amounts of BBQ and Mexican food.

Here are a few slightly more tangible SXSW essentials:

1. Backup phone battery. I bought a tiny Mophie Juice Pack Reserve specifically for SXSW. I knew I’d be using my phone all day (though I tried to keep the live-tweeting as non-obnoxious as possible) and I wouldn’t always have time to sit next to an outlet while my phone re-charged. This little guy did the trick and saved me from a dead phone multiple times throughout the trip. (Pro tip: Always be charging. If you’ve got your computer and your regular phone charger on you (recommended), you can charge your phone using your computer as well.)

2. Business cards. Get ‘em printed ahead of time and keep them on you at all times. Even for parties at night; you never know who you’ll meet.

3. Power strip. This is something I actually forgot to bring, but definitely could have used on multiple occasions. It’s not uncommon to see SXSW-goers huddled around any electric outlet they can find. With thousands of people fighting for an outlet, you can be a hero by bringing a power strip and sharing the wealth. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends.

4. Cold medicine. I’d heard tales of the infamous SXSW Plague before I even arrived. By Day 4, I realized how painfully accurate they were. Sure, the gorgeous Texas weather helped to offset the grogginess, but the cold symptoms were tough to ignore by the end of my time at SXSW. I wasn’t surprised. Long days, long nights, minimal sleep, and shaking a lot of hands don’t make for optimal health. Bring some Alka-Seltzer and try to nip the impending cold in the bud. Power through, soldier.

5. Comfortable shoes. SXSW is uber-casual. There is absolutely no reason to  put yourself through the agony of wearing heels. I only brought three pairs of shoes: sandals (like the ones pictured), black flats, and Sperrys (which I only wore at the airport) and I was absolutely fine. Make sure the shoes you pack can handle a ton of walking without giving you blisters, especially because you might not have a chance to change shoes during the day before heading out for the night.

So those are a few tips. SXSW was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had, and I’m already saving up and making plans to go again next year. If you can swing it, I encourage you to do the same; I promise it’s worth it.

This Friday, February 1 was supposed to be “Objectify a Male Tech Writer Day,” as declared by gaming and social media journalist Leigh Alexander. 

In an effort to raise awareness about the objectification that female tech writers experience, supporters were encouraged to add in “compliments” about male tech writers to tweets featuring links to their work in an effort to objectify them. Tweets should be tagged with #Objectify to be part of the conversation.

The event was generating quite a bit of buzz around the Internets after Alexander announced it on Janaury 23.

But then, she cancelled it.

Alexander thoroughly outlined her rationale for creating–and later, cancelling–the event in her various blog posts and press coverage.

I wrote a post about the event, and shared some thoughts on whether or not it would have been successful, for Information Space at the iSchool, which you can read here.

But I’d like to elaborate a bit more candidly here.

I’ll admit, when I first read about this event, I was appalled. Why did someone think that an appropriate response to the objectification of female tech writers was to fight fire with fire, and demonstrate the same treatment toward their male counterparts?

Upon further research, it became clear that Alexander and other event supporters simply wanted to “start a conversation” about sexism that would eventually lead to a decrease in objectification, and hoped that #Objectify would be a light-hearted approach to doing so.

After discussing the event with some male and female family members and friends, it seems that Alexander’s big vision got slightly misconstrued. When you strip away the good intentions, you’re left with an attention-seeking blogger that didn’t quite think this whole thing through.

Alexander openly admitted to some lack of forethought, which contributed to the event’s cancellation. To her credit, I thought she did an excellent job of articulating her views and fundamental beliefs behind #Objectify through a thorough Q & A posted on her personal blog. (The post has since been removed.) Supporters of the event even drew up a guide: “How to participate in #Objectify a Male Tech Writer Day without being part of the problem” to further clarify how participants could best convey the initiative’s core ideals.

In a way, Alexander was successful. She garnered press and attention for her efforts, and got even more when she cancelled the event. And there’s no denying that the buzz surrounding the event shed some light on the topic at hand.

To be fair, I can’t think of another method that would accomplish the goal of eradicating sexism toward women in male-dominated fields, and I’m not usually one to offer criticism without suggesting a possible alternative.  Of course, there’s certainly no overnight solution to the issue. I’d be interested to see a similar event to #Objectify re-emerge–perhaps with a different title–to bring the topic to light and spark a conversation that focuses more on the issue at hand and less on the logistics or attitude surrounding the event.

Is there a possible solution? How would you have approached this differently? (Do you think I’m being too harsh on Leigh Alexander?)  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This past Saturday, my friend Faith and I headed into New York City for some meetings and to catch up with friends.

After spending the summer in the city, my desire to live there after college only increased. One of my favorite aspects of the city is the plethora of incredible restaurants. (If you haven’t gone to Shake Shack, you haven’t lived. Trust me.)

On a related note, weekend brunch is “a thing” in NYC, which I love. It’s a tradition I embraced this summer, and made it my goal to hit up a new brunch spot every weekend. This trip, Faith and I made brunch plans with our good friends Megan and Rachel. Megan suggested that we go to Cafe D’Alsace on the Upper East Side. 

The atmosphere, prices, and brunch offerings were fantastic. I ordered the pear and chestnut crepes and if I could eat them for breakfast every day forever, I wouldn’t hate it. So naturally, I decided to search for a recipe to help make that dream a reality.

I couldn’t find an exact match, but I found a decent recipe for pear crepes, and a separate one for chestnut spread. Get creative and throw the chestnut spread in the crepes, and I think a homemade attempt could rival the restaurant’s recipe.

Give ‘em a shot!

Yesterday, I headed out to Governor’s Island to check out a new exhibition from the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. 

If you’re in the New York City area, I highly recommend visiting Graphic Design-Now In Production. It provides an excellent look into how graphic design is incorporated into all forms of media, including television, film, and print. There’s also an extensive typography component of the exhibition, which I, of course, loved.

Here’s a great video on the exhibition. Let me know if you visit!

I like social media. And food.

I decided to put them together in my latest post for Information Space. 

#140Cuse was a day-long social media conference hosted by Syracuse University on April 19, 2012. It was an incredible event with an all-star lineup of speakers, including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. 

A day-long social media event? Needless to say, I was in heaven.

I blogged about my #140Cuse experience for InfoSpace. Take a look!

It sounds cliche, but the Spring Break in Silicon Valley trip really did change my life. It redefined my career outlook and exposed me to the incredible entrepreneurial ecosystem of Silicon Valley. I blogged about my experience for Information Space. 

Feel free to take a look and share your thoughts.