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2013

NMX Opening Party Announced

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We’re pleased to announce that the Opening Party for NMX will take place on Sunday, January 6 at Lavo (at the Palazzo Hotel). Come join other attendees for a great time as we celebrate the first day (and night!) of the conference.

The party starts at 10pm and lasts until midnight. As you’ll soon see, Lavo is spectacular. This 5,000 square foot nightclub is a feast for the eyes. And, to ensure we have a good time, Guinness Black Lager and U4RIK Vodka will be supplying thirsty NMX-ers with drinks, too! Just remember to wear your NMX badge to gain entry.

Lavo – 3325 S. Las Vegas Boulevard

Thank you to our Opening Night Party sponsors:

LavoVegas MagazineGuinness Black LagerU4RIK Vodka, and Social2Step for making this a great event for everyone!

Guinness Black Lager logo

 

021 The Podcast Report – See You In Vegas!

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Hey everyone, Cliff Ravenscraft here. I’m back with another episode of The Podcast Report with my co-host, Megan Enloe.

Farnoosh Brock Is Warming Up Vegas For Us!

This is the last Podcast Report episode before the show starts this Sunday in Las Vegas. Our guest on the show this week, Farnoosh Brock, is already there, waiting for us, in Vegas.

Farnoosh has a strong connection to the conference. It was when she attended the 2010 show in Vegas that she had made the decision that she would leave her career and go out on her own. She has done that and has already achieved so much through her blogging, podcasting, and various other online efforts.

You can follow what Farnoosh is up to on her site. Of course we hope that you’ll consider attending the panel session that she’ll be participating in called “How To Effectively Communicate To A Global Audience.

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Everything You Need to Know about Attending NMX

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NMX starts in a few days! Woo!

We know we’ve been throwing lots of information at you about the conference, so we wanted to put everything together in one post for your easy reference. So, bookmark this and share it. You may want to reference it throughout the conference, too.

NMX Parties

Saturday – Speakers’ Reception (Speakers only)

Hyde Bellagio, 3600 S. Las Vegas Boulevard, 6pm – 8pm

Sunday – Opening Night Party (Open to all conference attendees)

Lavo (at the Palazzo Hotel), 3325 S. Las Vegas Boulevard, 10pm – 12am

Monday – Podcast Awards After Party (Open to all conference attendees)

NMX New Media Lounge, 8pm – 10pm

Tuesday – Closing Night Party: Blogs N’ Boots (Open to all conference attendees)

DB’s Pool and Pong, 3663 S. Las Vegas Boulevard #570, 8pm – 11pm

* Thank you to our refreshment sponsors, Guinness Black Lager and u4rik Vodka, who are providing beverages for our opening and closing parties.

NMX Activities for Attendees

Army Workout (Free) – Monday, January 6, 7am – 8am, New Media Lounge

Speed Dating (Free) – Monday, January 6, 4:15pm – 5:30pm, New Media Lounge

Instagram Contest (Free) – January 5-9 – Win a free pass to NMX  2014

General Conference Info

Conference Sessions – Access the session schedule or schedule grid to plan your days at the conference

The NMX Mobile Web App – Bookmark it here

Ask the Experts – Submit a question for any of our speakers (learn more here)

Livestreaming – All Keynotes will be livestreamed on nmxlive.com

Virtual Ticket (also known as NMXU Premium Membership) – Get access to all the NMX sessions to enjoy at your convenience (upgrade at the conference when you register or sign-up now)

Internet Access at Rio All-Suites Hotel – The Rio has just given attendees free internet (get details here).

Social Sharing – Remember to use #NMX in your tweets (if you’re in an All-Access Pass/BusinessNext session, use #biznext)

Vegas Activities for Attendees

Travel Vegas – Discounts and deals on a wide variety of Vegas attractions

Goretorium (Free) – January 5 – 9, 3717 S. Las Vegas Boulevard

Cirque du Soleil – Discounted rates to all seven shows

 

We can’t wait to see everyone at the conference, January 6-8 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Not coming? There’s still time to register and start your new year off right!

Marcus Sheridan talks about Content Marketing

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One of my favorite people in the social media space right now is Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion. He’s reinvented his life–thanks to content marketing–and is an insightful blogger and enthusiastic podcaster.

In this exclusive NMX video interview, Marcus talks about the value of your business providing content, how to translate your social media efforts into sales, the value of listening and answering questions, how numbers can be deceiving, and growing your audience by introducing a different medium.

Want to learn more about using social media for your business? Join us at BusinessNext Social in Las Vegas this month.

A Few Words About Suitcasing

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Have you ever gone to a conference and seen folks handing out brochures, flyers, and swag while standing in hallways or outside of session rooms? Do you wonder why they’re not on the Expo floor showcasing in a booth? It’s because what they’re doing is unethical. They’re suitcasing.

As the name indicates, suitcasing is when someone presents their business from a bag or suitcase so that it’s easier for them to zip up and run if they spot conference organizers. Suitcasing is also the practice of putting flyers, cards, business cards and promotional material on all available surfaces without the blessing of the conference organizers. In essence, it’s stealing. You see, there are people who pay good money to exhibit and sponsor to share with our community. People who are suitcasing are bypassing this fee to present on the sly. Our exhibitors and sponsors enable us to put on our conference, so the people who are suitcasing are also stealing from attendees. The less money we make, the less money we can spend on food, parties and bells and whistles. Moreover, the less money we make, the more we have to charge.

What happens if you’re caught suitcasing

If you’re coming to NMX as a sponsored content creator, the brand you’re representing may ask you to hand out flyers or t-shirts. Please know that this is considered suitcasing. It’s one thing to chat with others about what you do, that’s why we go to conferences, right? It’s a whole other story to walk the aisles and hallways giving out promotional items without permission. If you’re caught you’ll, at the very least, be asked to put your materials away. However, the  most likely scenario is that you’ll be booted out of the show.

If you’re planning on bringing promotional materials to NMX and you’re not sure if it’s considered suitcasing, don’t be afraid to ask us. We’d rather chat with you about what you’re doing than have to ask you to leave. We’re nice people, really, we just don’t want anyone stealing from our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and the team that works so hard to bring you the best possible conference.

How can you represent your brand without suitcasing

If your brand isn’t into a booth (but we encourage them to get one  – there’s still time!) there are ways to represent them without suitcasing:

  • Wear branded clothing. Wearing a t-shirt with a brand logo isn’t suitcasing, and everyone does it. In fact, it’s a great conversation starter.
  • Collect business cards: As you talk to attendees, collect business cards to bring back to the brand. Please explain why you’re doing so, however, so no one receives unwanted promotional material.
  • Blog: Live blog from the event and mention your sponsor. Let folks know that they sent you to the conference so you can learn, and also let folks know what your sponsor does and why they might want to follow them.  You don’t have to be spammy about it, but most folks understand sponsors require promotional posts and tweets.
  • Tweet: Thank your sponsor on Twitter for sending you to the conference.

At NMX we want our attendees to have the best experience possible. We want them to be able to walk our hallways or hang out in the New Media Lounge without being bombarded with unwanted sales pitches. Please think before suitcasing.

Mark Malkoff talks about Working with Celebrities

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One of the ways to get more eyeballs on your content is to use celebrities. Easier said than done, right? Well, tell that to Mark Malkoff. He’s managed to attract lots of celebrities and incorporate them into his video projects. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Mark’s made a name for himself by orchestrating lots of zany adventures, either.

In this exclusive NMX video interview, Mark talks about the many celebrities he’s gotten to participate in his videos, the importance of momentum, the challenges of contacting celebrities, and the value of being collaborative.

Want to learn other ways to make your Web TV series or video projects succeed? Be sure to read Mark’s guest post, “Turning your Mission into an Entertaining Web Series.” And check out Mark this January at NMX on the Web TV panel “Write Now! Advice from Award-Winning and Nominated Web Series Writers.”

Getting Social Online at NMX ’13

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If you’re taking photos at #NMX, please feel free to share them on our Facebook page, or on Twitter or Instagram using the #NMX hashtag.

If you’re coming to NMX in Las Vegas, it’s a good bet you’re social savvy. You know how to tweet, have a presence on Facebook, pin on Pinterest and even give G+ a whirl from time to time.  That’s good, because being social is a great way to not only share with NMX attendees, but it’s also a way to make those who can’t attend feel as if they’re with us anyway.

While we hope the majority of your conference socializing is of the offline variety, what follows are the different things you need to know about getting social (online) at New Media Expo.

Where to Follow Us

First and foremost – Come to where the action is.  We’re going to be quite busy and probably won’t be updating all of our channels every day, but you can bet there will be plenty of activity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. What follows is a list of places to follow NMX so you don’t miss a thing:

  • Facebook: Look to be inundated with photos and updates coming from New Media Expo ’13.
  • Twitter: We announced earlier this year that we have a new Twitter handle – @NewMediaExpo
  • Google+: We still have a regular presence on Google+ and will do our best to update when we can.
  • Instagram: Follow us on Instagram @NewMediaExpo and use the tag #NMX to view photos or upload your own. And don’t forget to take part in our Instagram photo contest!
  • Pinterest: We may not be updating Pinterest from the show but check out our speaker board to learn more about NMX ’13 presenters.
  • The NMX blog: For goodness sakes, don’t forget about the blog. We’ll offer regular updates and news.

Using Hashtags

The official hashtag for New Media Expo ’13 is #NMX. Use this hashtag when referring to our conference on Twitter, Google+ and Instagram. The social business portion of NMX, BusinessNext also has a hashtag: #biznext.

Many speakers offer hashtags for their specific sessions which they’ll announce at the beginning of their presentations. It helps them to gauge the enthusasiam, support, and reaction of attendees if you tweet about their sessions using their hashtags, and it’s also a way to share feedback to both NMX and speakers.  If you have room in your tweets, do try and use the #NMX hashtag in addition to others.

The “Boots ‘N Blogs” country music showcase and closing night party also has a hashtag – #bootsnblogs. Use this hashtag to tweet about the musicians, the venue, the people you meet and the sponsors.

Reaching out to the NMX team

The NMX team is here for you. Please feel free to approach us with any questions, comments, hugs, handshakes, and feedback at any time during #NMX. Many of us will be hanging out in the New Media Lounge, so please have a seat and chat with us. If you have a question and you don’t see anyone from the team, or, if you’re feeling a bit shy, we’ll be checking the social networks regularly. Reaching out to us on Facebook and Twitter are your best options because we’ll be checking them the most. And please, feel free to email me at deb@blogworldexpo.com with any questions or concerns.

Sharing your stuff with the #NMX community

There are so many people who wanted to make it to NMX so bad but just couldn’t swing it this time. Your social participation will help them to attend vicariously. We would love for you to post your photos and comments on our Facebook page, share images on Instagram using the hashtag #NMX, and share tweets, images and more on Twitter.

Sharing on the social networks also helps us to track the success of NMX. Through your social sharing, we know which aspects of  New Media Expo worked out well, and where the clunkers happened. We know which exhibitors are receiving the most buzz, and who was the most accommodating to the NMX community. We learn if the NMX team is being helpful and supportive to our community, or if we need to take someone out back to the woodshed.  You help shape our conference, so please don’t be shy.

We look forward to your sharing on the social networks next week at NMX. Let’s see what we can do to make the hashtag really explode!

Making Quality Writing Count in New Media

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Paraphrasing a very wise SNL character: “If it ain’t one thing, it’s another.”

A decade ago, a pair of twenty-somethings at a party asked what I thought about the future of traditional journalism with online media and communication gaining speed, strength and reach.

“The Internet,” I said, as if I had half a clue, “is a double-edged sword. On one side you have this world-shaking, powerful technology that allows anyone to have a voice, to publish what they have to say, a privilege once reserved for those with power and money.”

And the other side of the sword, they asked.

“Not everyone has something to say.”

These days, there’s still a double edge, but it’s on a different sword. There are plenty of people who, through the power of online self-publishing have discovered that, yes, they do actually have something to say.

And the other side of the sword?

Most are not very good at saying it.

It sounds like an uber-snooty remark but, truthfully, there really is an Everest-size difference between saying something and telling a story, between a compelling narrative and a rehash of a diary, between informing and regurgitating, between writing and, well, just typing. There’s a similarly sized difference between getting readers to open your blog and getting them to come back.

Responding to a LinkedIn question I posted about the importance of quality writing in blogs, nearly every poster said yes, they prefer sites that are well written. While the reasons varied, the one that jumped out at me was painfully simple:

“Readers want to feel like they’re having a discussion with somebody smarter than they are. Poor writing, no matter how well informed, won’t get that done.”

Are we talking about Steinbeck? No. Solid writing has less to do with prose and fancy phrasing than it has to do with 3 steps: Having a point, knowing what that point is, and writing to that point. Sounds simple, but a quick cruise through the blogosphere (and, frankly, a lot of legacy media outlets) shows that the importance of a point is, at best, underestimated.

That said, it’s not difficult to, with a few basic tips, make writing significantly better. Really.

Are there bloggers who are wildly successful without great writing skills? Of course. They have to work harder or rely more on their other tools – photography, videography, research, self-promotion, SEO – to not just gain new readers, but to keep them.

Can you rely entirely on great writing to be wildly successful? No. You still have to have something to say.

“If it ain’t one thing …”

Editor’s Note: If you’d like to learn how to turn your writing into powerful storytelling, be sure to check out Spud Hilton‘s session at NMX in January, entitled “Road map to storytelling: Writing that turns visitors into loyal readers.”

 

Announcing the NMX ’13 Instagram Contest

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Nothing is more rewarding for conference organizers like us than seeing photos of our events shared online. Though we have an official photographer roaming the New Media Expo floor, it’s your candid shots that really capture the essence of NMX and what we feel it’s all about. At BlogWorld NY, our #BWENY hashtag showed great activity on Instagram.  At NMX ’13 in Las Vegas, we’d like to reward our community for sharing their photos on Instagram, by offering a chance at three different prizes.

First, the details.

NMX ’13 Instagram Contest: The Guidelines

We’re not going to be too strict about this, but we do have a few guidelines:

  1. All eligible photos must be posted on Instagram using the #NMX hashtag: We love to see your photos on Facebook, Twitter and blogs, but for your images to be eligible, they must be posted to Instagram using the correct hashtag – #NMX.
  2. Photographs must be posted between the dates of Saturday, January 5th and Wednesday, January 9th: The contest is being held while #NMX is in session, though we will add a day before or after to allow for parties, travel, etc.
  3. For a photo to be eligible, it must be taken at #NMX sanctioned events: it can be taken at NMX in any of the sessions, hallways, the New Media Lounge, the Expo floor or anywhere else in the Rio Conference Center while NMX is in session. Photos can also come from official #NMX parties, including the speaker reception. However, if the party isn’t an NMX event, it’s not eligible for submission in the Instagram contest.
  4. Photographs must be appropriate: We know you’re having fun, and the NMX community is generally well-behaved, but please, no middle finger salutes, boob shots or tasteless photos.

The Prizes

Of course you want to know why you should participate in the NMX ’13 Instagram contest. While we hope you’re going to post your photos online anyway, we do want to offer some incentive. Three winners will receive passes to New Media Expo ’14. The winners will be chosen in the following categories:

  • Humor – Make us laugh!
  • Geekiness – One random, geeky photo of NMX co-founder Dave Cynkin’s choosing will win a prize. What does that mean? We don’t know either. Surprise us!
  • Spirit – The photo that best captures the spirit of NMX – why we do what we do and why people come to our show every year. Is it the networking? Is it the learning? You tell us!

See you at #NMX!

We can’t wait to see you at NMX and look forward to seeing your photos on Instagram. Every photo meeting the above criteria is eligible. See you in a few days!

Learn About NMX

NEW TWITTER HASHTAG: #NMX

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