Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

I remember the very early stages of Facebook, when the social networking platform was only available for students at a select group of approved universities.  When my small university in New Hampshire was finally approved for Facebook, I would have never dreamed that it would evolve into a network that would be used by students of all ages, my family members, work associates and even the president of the United States.

Last week’s online town hall meeting with President Obama at the Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, CA certainly brought to light the fact that the government has accepted not only simply that social media is here to stay, but that it is also a prime means to target not only young people, but also the tech-savvy thought-leaders that are frequenting these types of social media platforms.  Obama is also casting himself into the social networking frenzy in hopes to tap into a wider audience for his 2012 campaign fundraising efforts.

In May 2009, The White House began it’s “White House 2.0″ blog as well as created accounts on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.  Currently, The White House has over 1 million fans on Facebook, 145,693 “friends” on MySpace and over 2 million followers on Twitter.  At the time of the launch, the president noted, “We need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative,” and sought to “reach beyond the halls of government” to connect with the public.

Although the open forum at the Facebook campus was a good way for Obama to wade in the social media waters, he certainly took measures to avoid taking the full plunge right away.  Though questions were submitted from online Facebook users, all questions were pre-screened and all Facebook employees who were allowed to ask questions live were hand-picked before the live streaming webcast.  Though Obama did display a good deal of wit and charisma in his answers, he still lacked the real-time authenticity that social media is most effectively used for.  In order for this social media push for the 2010 Obama campaign to be as effective as the unique branding and marketing campaign launched for his 2008 election campaign, Obama will have to go to even greater lengths to reach the public in a more transparent and direct manner than his previous “safe” social media efforts.

These days it seems that every brand, whether willingly or dragged kicking and screaming, is engaging in some sort of social media marketing.  Many companies are winning over consumers and cleaning up their brand identity by engaging in open conversation online.  The real trouble comes, however, when the company/brand is not actually ready to deal with everything that comes along with this transparency.  A few harsh truths that need to be not only realized but accepted by a company before “diving” into a social media campaign:

1. Not everybody likes your company. People are going to say bad things about you.  Sometimes, they will say such horrific things that you will cry yourself to sleep and wonder where your career is going, but this is just part of the game.
2. Conversations go two ways. It isn’t enough to simply be present on a social network, you have to actually engage.  If your brand isn’t big enough to have customers coming to you, take some initiative and reach out to them!
3. Negative shouldn’t be avoided. Attacking the negative comments directly and in a timely manner is one of the greatest innovations of brand/consumer relations on social media… is you are avoiding it, you are only hurting yourself further.
4. It’s not all about you. If you are constantly talking about your own company/brand, your customers aren’t going to learn any more about you than they could have garnered from your website and traditional advertising.  Come up with a “voice” for your brand that allows you to communicate with customers directly and win over their loyalty in a more personal way.
5. Honesty is always key. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes an tweet of Facebook post may go up that regrettably does not best represent your company.  Your followers will respect you more if you own up to your mistakes, apologize and move on rather than taking elaborate steps to cover up blunders.

If your company is unsteady about entering into social media, it’s really important to educate the staff about the positive effects that social media can have on your brand if done RIGHT.  Top brands including Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Dell and Whole Foods Markets are excellent examples of how a brand can successfully engage with their audience and leverage the latest trends in social media technology to create conversation and excitement among their listeners.

Never be embarassed about taking advantage of a killer photo op.

We all come to SXSW hoping to get the latest buzz on emerging media and technology.  There are also a range of other reasons why we come to SXSW Interactive, so tips on how to get the most out of the experience academically can be somewhat subjective.  However, here are some key tips that will get you through like a champ, regardless of your reasons for attending:

1. Drink Water. And PLENTY of it.  Bring your own water bottle and fill up whenever you get the chance– you will be thankful in the morning.
2. Recharge. Bring your cell phone charger with you wherever you go and never let your charge get to an “emergency” situation.  I highly recommend investing in a portable charger (you will also make lots of new friends this way!)  There are outlets in more places than you may think but sometimes you will need to get a little creative.
3. Carry snacks. At any given time, there are so many options for things going on from parties to panels to meetups, so it can sometimes hit you out of the blue that you have forgotten to eat anything for seven hours!  If you see free food being given away, grab it whether you are hungry or not, as you will be thankful for that forthought later.
4. Be flexible. It’s a great idea to make a plan and have an outline of what you’d like to get accomplished in a given day, but it’s also key to go with the flow as some of the best experiences you will have could be waiting in line for a session or grabbing a sandwich at a food truck.
5. Bring a backpack. Between your pocket guide, party fliers and useless branded swag, you are going to end up accumulating a lot of “stuff” and it’s much easier to assess what is actually worth keeping later (why did I think I could find use for 9 frisbees again?)
6. Talk. Meet people.  Meet anyone you happen to be next to for more than 20 seconds–they could be the most interesting or most important person you encounter in your entire time in Austin and there’s no risk in saying hello.
7. Be comfortable. Most people dress casually, but beyond that it’s even more key to be comfortable.  You’re going to be walking all day and are most likely not going to have a chance to stop back at your hotel, so make sure you are wearing the MOST sensible shoes you own and have brought sufficient layers to accommodate for Austin’s rapidly changing weather patterns.  As pessimistic as it is to carry an umbrella, you will be thankful that you didn’t have to pay $30 for one at the convention center just because you were crossing your fingers for sunshine all day.
8. Know your limits. There are as many parties and free beers floating around as there are startups at SXSW, but you have to know when to put on the brakes and call it a day.  If you can party like a rockstar and still make it to that 9:30 a.m. session that you’ve been eying on the schedule, then more power to you!  If you know that you need a solid night’s sleep and a decent breakfast before you are of any use as a human, perhaps a low key night is more your pace.

As long as you are open to new ideas and ready to have fun you, can get the most out of your SXSW experience.  But always keep in mind that this experience is a marathon–not a sprint!