SXSW: Let’s Focus on the People (The Mark Zuckerberg Fallout)
To the mainstream media, I am a nobody (and that’s okay).
To people who care about real conversations, I am somebody.
I won’t waste any time rehashing the drama surrounding BusinessWeek’s Sarah Lacy and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg — By now, the world is well aware of what took place, how the rain poured and the fallout that ensued. Walking the floors of SXSW at the Austin Convention Center, I began hearing bits and pieces of the interview from numerous individuals — It seemed rather ugly.
Now, people are apologizing and new details are emerging about what happened behind the scenes at SXSW. Well, I don’t really care.
Here’s the thing about interviewing people: Everyone has their approach. Mine is about focusing on the person. They are the spotlight, it’s their moment and I want THEM to shine — Good or bad. I ask the questions, THEY follow with an answer, while I listen attentively. I take pride in that I’ve used this format to interview everyone from Kevin Rose to Craig Newmark.
People love my interviews, and I love interviewing! When you focus on the individual and conversation, so many wonderful things occur that you least expect: You learn a lot about the core of an individual, their passion, what makes them tick, etc. This approach works well for me. The end result: We all learn something new.
If I were invited by SXSW to interview Zuckerberg (by the way, I AM available as a guest interviewer for conferences, etc.), you can believe my tried-and-true format would have worked like a charm. There wouldn’t have been any drama, we would have learned everything we needed to know about Zuckerberg and Facebook, and everyone would have been happy (for the most part — You can’t please everyone, no matter how hard you might try).
In closing, let’s focus on the people in our interviews. Take an active role in genuinely learning about the subject: Be not only an interviewer, but also an audience member. Let them have the spotlight. Let them be the authority of information in their industry or expertise.
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SXSW: Available for Media Interviews (Bio Appended)
If you’re a journalist, reporter or blogger at SXSW (South by Southwest) seeking subjects for interviews or quotes in technology, social media and the Internet, please contact me using the “Call Me” button on my website or here.
I am available through Wednesday afternoon and would enjoy contributing to your coverage of SXSW.
Panels, appearances and interviews (subject to change)
March 9 (3:30 PM): Panel
March 10 (2 PM): Veoh, “Viral”
Bio
Ronald Lewis is a Denver-based technologist, imagineer, entrepreneur and social media producer. An early adopter of emerging technologies, Lewis became the first Denver-based lifecaster to broadcast his life 24/7 in May 2006 to a global audience of more than 600,000 to date. Lewis’ engaging personality has secured not only a devoted following, but also an increasing number of opportunities to produce engaging content including conversations with prominent executives and corporations.
At just 13 years of age, Lewis was already demonstrating his ability to engage some of the world’s most admired CEOs including Bill Gates and J.B. Hunt with his diverse industry knowledge and technical skill set. Clearly, Lewis has a passion for learning about and creating relationships with interesting and successful individuals.
Lewis’ vast background spans the spectrum of entrepreneurship to software development. He has worked with most of the world’s largest corporations including Microsoft, IBM and Unisys. His work in social media and technology has been recognized by The Detroit News, Nashville Business Journal, Boulder County Business Report, TechCrunch, FastCompany, NewTeeVee, Cisco and others.
Interesting reading
2001: Using “Social Networking” To Defeat an Empire
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SXSW: Live Event Camera
Watch LIVE video of SXSW panels, parties and more. Watch now!
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