Slide Deck from SMX London and SAScon

This week I’ve finished what has been a fairly busy speaking schedule during this Spring. I did five different events in the last three months, and was particularly pleased to be given the opportunity to speak at SMX London last Wednesday. In February 2011 I read Keith Ferazzi’s Never Eat Alone and decided to set some career/life goals – speaking at SMX was one of them.

This is a topic I’m most familiar with, and it was received well. Probably the most repeatable point was the fallacy of ‘the best time to share’ on slide 14. I don’t think there is an optimum time – you need to test it out for yourself. I recommend The Fallacy of Timing Blog Posts & Social Media Updates.

SAScon

I also had the opportunity to speak at SAScon in Manchester, where I talked on a panel about social media’s relationship with more established media. This was good – I was slightly hungover for it (as were most of the audience), but I hope people got something out of it. I think my main point is that the way to make the most money as a content provider, is to make platforms that allow people to create content fast. This is why you’ve seen rapid growth and crazy valuations in businesses like Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Pinterest, versus established ‘content’ driven media companies – many of which have declined in value.

What Else am I Doing?

I’m probably not going to speak at many more events this year – I’ve done seven since last September, gained some Twitter followers and most importantly met a bunch of really good people. It’s been great experience – and I now feel comfortable in front of almost any industry audience, but it’s time to get my focus entirely back on my day job. I have had a few invites nonetheless – and I haven’t turned any down yet!