I Quit for LIJIT...

toad the bwet sprocket**

Okay, once you get past the name (not just of the post, but of the group...and I blush about both), you'll find a remarkable thing happening. Women talking about creating media, companies and opportunities for themselves. Whatever you want to call it, it's pretty amazing.

Gwen Bell started the group (boulder women engaging tech) about six months ago as a way for women working in the Boulder tech scene to meet one another and have some girl talk. And boy have we. Some weeks there are many women, some just a few. But I always look forward to going because I can vent, share, get feedback on projects and listen to other women who work in jobs where there aren't always a lot of other women. Whether it's eating my baked goods, playing Scrabble or discussing new tools, it's community in action, baby. (It's also a lot of Macs.)

This Saturday, bwet is doing it up. Yep, a big event to discuss women in tech. The Houston chapter (hwet?) is flying in to join us and we want to be sure to show them a good time. Starting at 9:30 am at The Cup (a sponsor...which means free coffee), lots of ladies will be meeting for some conversation and some good times. Did I mention interactive activities are planned?

I'm honored to be one of the "speakers" for the event, but saying that makes it feel like it's something I should be nervous about. It's going to be very chill (read that as I'm not preparing anything) and I'll mainly be talking about what I do with Lijit. One of my favorite Texans, Laura Mayes, of Kirtsy will be telling her story and you don't want to miss that. It's a doozie.

So there you have it. I'm excited to meet some new friends and get inspired. Because that's what happens when estrogen, caffeine and techy girl talk come together.

Do join us.


And big thanks to those local businesses that are helping to make this happen: Metzger and The Cup


**It was either this title or "slippery when bwet".

Why you want a cool logo...

 

I was checking out my official time from the Bolder Boulder last week. Imagine my surprise when I found a picture of myself from the 2007 race greeting me. Sure, the main focus is on the cow, but how many people also saw the Lijit logo on my shirt?

My friend Seth, of Trek Light Gear, noticed me on the BB homepage and commented that he viewed running the race in a Lijit shirt as an "unconventional evangelist technique". What he failed to realize is that once you become an evangelist for something, you begin taking your work home with you by default. I love to run, so getting the chance to do so in a Lijit shirt was actually the perfect blending of my worlds. While I didn't score many publisher sign-ups over the course of the race, I did have lots of eyes on our logo and sometimes that can be half the battle.

When you have a logo that is designed well, it's easy to spark conversation. Lijit has been fortunate enough to sponsor a few different gatherings and it's always amazing to me how our logo looks among other logos. At Gnomedex last year, our logo was the same size as the others and yet stood out in such a defining way. It not only caught the eye, it refused to go unnoticed. There was a moment at SXSW this year, when I was hanging out in the BlogHaus and looked around to see Lijit stickers on the majority of laptops in the room. The sight made this evangelist's heart swell with pride. And I've lost count of how many designers have complimented me on Lijit's logo, telling me how much they like and appreciate it. I had nothing to do with the design but love hearing the positive feedback surrounding it.

Another good reason to have a well-designed logo is that people want your swag. Granted, people want free stuff anyway, but when you have a logo like ours, the demand is through the roof. It makes my job easier when people are sincerely stoked about getting a shirt. (Additionally, it doesn't hurt that our t-shirts are incredibly soft and comfy!) Stickers are in no way a ground-breaking marketing idea but it's pretty easy to see the return on that investment when you see your logo all over the place.

And of course, in my mind, the absolute best reason to have a cool logo is that it facilitates the process of wearing the logo every chance you get. When at conferences, I like to have a handful of stickers on me at all times so that I can tag anyone when the chance arises. Don't believe me? You never know when you might want to slap a sticker on an internet celebrity if the photo opportunity presents itself...

All of this is not to say that you MUST have a cool logo. However, when you're in the trenches, it doesn't hurt the cause.

Thanks to Ross Carlson for the sweet snowboard shot and to Bryce Widom for the awesome logo design. If you're interested in more of Bryce's work, check out the chalk drawings behind the bars of the Mountain Sun and Southern Sun. Yep...even more of his genius on display.

SXSW Highlights...

Now that I've had a few days to catch up on sleep, I feel that I'm better able to write about the experience I just had in Austin at a little conference known as South by Southwest Interactive. Most people are familiar with the music and film portions of SXSW, but if you're a tech geek, then the Interactive portion of the conference is like Disneyland. But better because there's free booze everywhere. After some reflection, I present my favorite moments from South by (which is what all the cool kids call it):

• The Unicorn

He joined Andrew Hyde's panel about half way through and stole the show. Afterwards, the Unicorn was running around giving everyone high-fives. When I put my hand up in the air to receive, he refused to slap my hand. Ouch. Let me just say that getting dissed by a nonexistent, magical creature doesn't make it hurt any less.

• Bowling for Geeks

It's always fun bowling with your CEO but even better when you're talking trash and throwing strikes. Besides the neon balls, the best part of bowling was when the entire alley got Rick rolled by the guy playing the music videos. Only a bunch of geeks would truly appreciate that!

• Seeing Lijit publishers in action

Everywhere I looked at SXSW, I saw familiar names and URLs. Having the chance to thank users and speak with them firsthand about what they want from Lijit was priceless. I went to a session on building community and one of the speakers, Jake McKee, the Community Guy, was proudly wearing a Lijit t-shirt. Bestill my beating evangelistic heart!

• Blog Network Camp

Lijit was one of the sponsors for this event and there was a great turnout for it. I always get a kick watching Todd, our CEO, give a demo because it re-energizes me and makes me remember why I started working for the company in the first place. Mainly because he's very persuasive and we have a kick-ass search service. The response from the bloggers at the event was positive and we're looking forward to seeing how we can make network search even better!

• How to piss off a blogger

I attended this discussion on blogger relations and was pleased to find out that I don't do any of the things we listed as ways to piss off bloggers. I'm self-taught and it's taken me a year, but I feel that I'm finally in the position to lead one of these panels. As I've always said, if you treat a blogger like you'd like to be treated, you're probably doing the right thing. To read more about what we came up with, check out the post written by the session moderator.

• Hanging in da Bloghaus

This was the place to be to meet anyone who is anyone in the blogging world. Interviews were going on left and right, blog posts were frantically typed, free beer was consumed...and all with the energy and enthusiasm of a frat house. The Bloghaus is where I made the most connections, met the most Twitter friends and rubbed shoulders with the most A-listers. A very dangerous place for someone who freaks out around (very) minor celebrities!

• Cathedral of Junk

There was a Flickr meetup in South Austin in the backyard of a gentleman who has constructed a 20-foot high shrine completely out of junk. How could you say no to seeing that? It was awesome to meet some of the Flickr employees, hang with other geeky photo-types and get away from the convention center for a bit. Did I mention that you can climb the stairs in this temple of junk? And that the Austin City Council has been out to check it (at the request of some neighbors) and has found that the Cathedral of Junk meets all of the city's building codes?

• Learning more about the CEO

Trips like these allow me to see Todd dressed up as a pirate (for a panel he rocked, btw) and present me with the opportunity to learn that we have the same size feet. (No need to mention that I have humongous feet. It's common knowledge.) Good to know that if necessary, I will be able to fill the shoes of the CEO perfectly. Yarrrr....

• The people

Duh. Everywhere you went, there was potential for inspiration and connection. Something about the mellow Austin mood must have rubbed off, because I had no problem walking up to anyone (regardless of their page views) and starting a conversation. It was such an electric energy, matching avatars to faces and meeting new friends. You hear people say it all the time in the online world, but honestly, it really is all about the people. I'm just glad I got to experience it myself in a backdrop as cool as SXSW.

What about the parties, you ask? Well, they were good, but I didn't have my camera on me and I ended up shouting to be heard in those venues. The parties were indeed a good time (especially the one that we helped to sponsor!) but for someone who doesn't like staying out late, they just seemed to drain me of my mornings, my voice and my energy.

That's my wrap-up of what went down at SXSW. If you went, I'd love to hear the stories and pictures that you have to share. And if I promised you a t-shirt and didn't have the right size, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to amend that situation.

(Last photo courtesy of Gwen Bell)

Who's thirsty for a TECH cocktail?

The Boulder/Denver/Front Range tech scene is, that's who. And we are in luck, because Eric Olson and Frank Gruber are bringing their show to town. We couldn't be happier.

TECH cocktail was started a few years ago in Chicago by Eric and Frank with the hopes of bringing together those in the tech community to network and drink. As Eric has often told me, the best networking happens over a beer or two. Fortunately, these guys felt the pull of the Flatirons and are going to venture into Silicon Mountain for the debut of TECH cocktail....the Rockies edition.

Where?  The Foundry, 1109 Walnut St.  (conveniently located across the street from the Lijit offices!)
When?   March 6th, from 6:30-9 PM
Who?     Tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, bloggers, business professionals, groupies
Why?     A great time, cool people, tech demos, and unlimited networking potential

You can read what Frank and Eric have to say about the upcoming event...or you can just take my word and click here to RSVP. If you don't have a good time, there is a full money-back guarantee.**

**Did I mention that it's free to attend?

 

Daniel does something right...

While this bit of news should have been included in the "Proof that January rocked" post or perhaps a "Get to know Lijit" feature, I'm excited to issue the first Lijit birth announcement. (Unless you count our acquisition, which was really more of an adoption...)

Daniel, author of techniQal support and the awesome Twitter snow report, shared a beta version that he (and his wife) have been working on for the past nine months. I'm proud to say that on January 15th, at 7:12 pm, Weiss 2.0 was released. It's exciting to see the finished product...

and to start pimping him out. We start early around here. Look how excited he is to be Lijit...

Little Lucas Daniel has come by the office to visit a couple of times with his mom, Mary. Below you can see Lucas chilling at my desk, proving that even a newborn can do my job...

I was lucky enough to go out to lunch with the Weiss family the other day. Daniel and I were encouraging Mary to start a blog. She thought about doing it while pregnant, but decided she wouldn't have much to say. All that has changed. Seems that becoming a mommy has left Mary with some stories. But come on, with material like this, how can she not start blogging?

Congratulations to Daniel and Mary. Knowing Daniel, Lucas is going to have mad hacking skills by the time he enters preschool.

Evangicamp: Part Deux

Next Tuesday, there will be a gathering of Evangelists from across the land (well, mostly Boulder and Denver) to talk about such topics as user retention, building community and creating buzz among bloggers. If you are working in an evangelistic/marketing/outreach role, feel free to join us and add to the conversation.*

Evangicamp: Part Deux will be taking place at the same time (5:30) in the same building (Exeter on the corner of 10th and Walnut) but on a different floor (we're invading the me.dium offices on the second floor).

There should be a diverse group of companies represented, including me.dium, Intense Debate, madKast, and Fuser, among others. Not to mention that a few of us from the Lijit World HQ will be making the arduous journey down that one flight of stairs. I'm looking forward to going more in depth with topics we started last time and to hanging out in someone else's office. Hope to see you there!

*However, if you're just showing up for the Rockband, you're out of luck. But Dean has promised me that me.dium is prepared with a wii for any post-evangicamp festivities that may occur.

Not quitting our day jobs...

Rock Band fever has taken over our office and I don't see there being any cure for it. (Except for more Rock Band, duh!) Here are the guys modeling the Lijit winter fleece and attempting a pose for the first album cover...

While Rock Band is definitely one of the highlights of our year, there have been other events worth noting. I'm narrowing down the list and will be posting what we consider the most Lijit moments of 2007 later this weekend. If you have any last-minute suggestions, be sure to get them to me quick. The year's almost over!

A Lijit holiday in the alleys

The Lijit holiday bowling tournament took place last night and boy was it a close competition. Todd and Walter pitted themselves as team captains against one another and the rest of the company was divvied up between them. While both games were close, Todd's team reigned victorious. There was fun, food, cheering (a little heckling) and ugly shoes enjoyed by all...

We hope everyone has as much fun at their company's holiday party. With 2007 winding down, we have a lot to be thankful for at Lijit and the opportunity to work with people we like, trust and learn from is just one of the many things. Here's hoping you get a turkey (three strikes in a row) this holiday season!

Sharing the holiday Lijit love...

At a recent holiday party in town, three attendees found that they were wearing the same thing. Instead of causing resentment (as such a situation can), this fact made the three want to celebrate their similarities and show their support for the local tech start-up scene...

 

Thanks to Jeremy, Rachel and Theron for the love. Speaking of holiday parties, the Lijit crew is celebrating on Thursday and we're taking it to the bowling alley. Pictures and trash-talking will be prevalent...stay tuned.

(Photo credit: wanderingstan)

Thoughts on Evangicamp

What happens when you gather fifteen smart people in a room, give them beer and start discussing evangelism? Evangicamp! We had great turnout and lots of knowledge to share. Some of the companies represented...

• Dean, me.dium
• Emily, Fuser
• Rob, EventVue
• Ari, filtrbox 
• Jenn, Yallery
• Josh, Intense Debate
• Andrew, Startup Weekend
• Josh, madKast
• Barney, Kevin and Micah, Lijit
• Brett, Copy Brighter SEO
• Karen Hersh

 

Thanks for the pic, Micah!

Some of my notes and highlights of our conversation...

• Our goal as evangelists should be to help make users successful.
• Keep your audience in mind!
• Are you asking the right questions when you reach out?
• Old media vs. New media...it boils down to the legitimacy that print and MSM can bring your cause while remembering your audience and what they're reading...
• The issues of user engagement and retention
• Saying "no" and when to do it (Micah has a great post about this topic)
• When to engage with bloggers and what happens if it starts a flame war?

Those are just some of my takeaways on what we talked about at Evangicamp. Josh Larson worked hard to make Evangicamp happen and has posted his thoughts on the event, while fellow Lijit evangelist Barney put up a thorough review from his viewpoint. We discussed a wide range of topics but it was obvious that there was enough potential to fuel a few more Evangicamps. Adding to the feeling of community was what we did after Evangicamp...

 

If we can rock together as a band, then we can definitely work together and share ideas. Thanks to all those who attended and made our first Evangicamp a successful experiment. See you all at the next one!