I’m honored to be included in the Detroit SXSW Team. It’s an awesome opportunity to bring together the Detroit community, spread the great pieces Detroit in communities between home and Austin, and bring awareness to some remarkable organizations.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have Chevrolet covering travel expenses and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit backing my hotel and conference fees.

My official Detroit Chevy SXSW Road Trip team members and quotes they love:

Norman Witte III: “When life gives you lemons… make furniture polish.” – Balki Bartokomous
Joe Minock: “If it doesn’t work, get off your ass and do something about it.”
Bobby Mercader: “For one moment in my life, my heart beat was in sync with the universe”

There are two Detroit teams this year (we obviously can’t contain all of our Detroit awesome). The second team consists of Nikki Stephan, Jacki Halas, Brian Ambrozy and Kyle Stuef.so check out Nikki’s blog for more on our tandem team.

Our team has already begun putting together some awesome ideas so I’ll make sure to keep you updated as everything comes together!

Never heard of the Chevy SXSW road trips? Check out the Detroit team from last year!

UPDATE: Our team has officially been named! Meet Team High Five and “like” Team High Five on Facebook.

The Detroit social scene is incredible. We’re pretty well connected to each other and always welcoming newcomers. I’ve continuously referred business to those I’ve meet through social, and continue to receive gracious referrals from them. In fact, the Detroit social scene is directly responsible for two major contracts I’m working on right now.

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I’ve watched this social group evolve into what it is today as a direct result of each “member’s” contribution. While other large groups tend to sever off subgroups, we’ve maintained a pretty decent closeness while indulging in sub-group interests. I think Jane’s contribution–and everyone’s comments–will serve as another molding piece of how Detroit’s social-loving scene continues to evolve.

I’m proud to be a part of this “group”. And I hope others will continue to feel as welcome as I have to mold and evolve its future.

My first Detroit Tweetup (which was the second Detroit Tweetup ever, I think)

I’m speaking (spoke) at IUE2010 on content strategy. Description:

Well-developed and executed content strategy yields measurable return-on-investments. Unfortunately most businesses aren’t putting resources into making the initial investment, resulting in a lot of noise and damage to brand reputation.
A clear, smart content strategy educates the target market, impacts organic search engine visibility, increases website traffic and conversion rates, and more. The integral piece to success is, of course, locating the consumer. Social media is a must-have for any success B2B or B2C content strategy.

“The survey took a look at the habits of 1,600 Internet users from the U.S., UK, Germany and Japan and found that over the past two years alone, social web use in the workplace has risen from 19% to 24%.” (Mashable)

This session assumes you understand the importance of concise language and bullet points.

We will move beyond the basics to better understand how a clear, smart content strategy will ensure the success of a business’ social presence. You will understand how to plan content that engages your market, impacts your analytics, compliments your business plan, and feeds your bottom line.

On the IUE Panel

Social media panel: I’m excited to join some of my favorite Detroit Social Media innovators, Chris Barger, Joe LaMuraglia,  Shannon Paul, and Dave Murr, as we discuss our visions of where social media is heading.

My position statement for the panel:
Mobile social media access continues to rise with each web-friendly mobile device sale. In fact, compared to the average desktop (or laptop) web user, mobile users socialize more online. Not only should this flag today’s technologists, but our marketers and communication professionals as well.

Check out the full IUE2010 line up here

Nikki Stephan & Shauna Nicholson Recap FutureMidwest from Shauna Nicholson on Vimeo.

Rosa Parks Bus

Because I’ve been heading up the FutureMidwest social media outreach, I was invited to a private tour of The Henry Ford museum and, as Blagica so accurately described, it was far more emotional than we had ever anticipated. I had no idea each piece of the museum had such rich history!

I was shocked to see the chair Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in, sit in the same bus Rosa Parks made history in, and even understand how linens paved the way for the first computers.

Throughout the tour, we were reminded Henry Ford chose the highlight the works of the everyday person who had a passion for innovation. On the eve of FutureMidwest, this message could not have had better timing.

We are the game-changers of today–not just tomorrow. What we do and how we do it matters today. I invite you to join my fellow innovators and I as we take this reality and the collaborative spirit into FutureMidwest over the next two days.

Feeling inspired? Check out these posts now:

• Detroit, We Need to Analyze Less and Notice More (Dave Murray, FutureMidwest moderator)
• Money Ain’t a Thing if it Costs You Happiness (Nikki Stephan, FutureMidwest PR Pro)
• Applying the Right Kind of Lens (Scott Hauman, FutureMidwest speaker)

Words to live by:

Ideally, since 80 percent of your life is spent working, you should start your business around something that is a passion of yours. If you’re into kite-surfing and you want to become an entrepreneur, do it with kite-surfing.

Look, if you can indulge in your passion, life will be far more interesting than if you’re just working. You’ll work harder at it, and you’ll know more about it. But first you must go out and educate yourself on whatever it is that you’ve decided to do – know more about kite-surfing than anyone else. That’s where the work comes in. But if you’re doing things you’re passionate about, that will come naturally.

— Richard Branson

This is precisely why I started Digital Mark. It’s why I’ve worked through this weekend with a smile on my face. It’s why I can’t imagine doing anything but what makes me happy and pays the bills. Digital strategy and online marketing (are serious passions of mine and) increase my clients’ bottom lines. Win-win at its finest.

With that said, I invite you to join my fellow solopreneurs and I as we celebrate entrepreneurship in Detroit on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 7pm at Urbane Space.