Visual notes from the panel “I’ve found my free agent, now what?” from the 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference.

For large size click here.

This panel was geared toward nonprofits who are learning how to work with individuals who support their cause but do not work for them. These free agents are different from volunteers in that they are ready to throw themselves into supporting the cause in many ways, and in this networked age, they can have tremendous impact.

Participants included:

After a one year hiatus, I returned to Austin for the South By Southwest Interactive festival. This was my third time, and one of my best. Here is my roughly chronological recap.

On the plane to Austin I sat next to Phil Zimmerman, the creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and startup veteran and current CEO of Debix Bo Holland, the identity protection company. Both fascinating guys. I learned a ton about how identity theft happens from Bo Holland, as well as getting a primer in how the startup funding process works.

In Austin, I stayed with David J. Neff, who combines his passion for nonprofits, media production, and social media to help nonprofits make the world better. I did large scale visual notes for a talk about the book he co-authored with Randal Moss: The Future of Nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in the Digital Age.

(visual notes part 1 for book talk:” The Future of Nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in the Digital Age.”)

(visual notes part 2 for book talk:” The Future of Nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in the Digital Age.”)

Later in the day, I swung by the Indy Hall compound and lifted a few glasses with some of Philadelphia’s most awesome geeks.

The next day I did the same thing for Beth Kanter’s panel “A Global Conversation: Free Agents and Nonprofits in a Networked World” where she emceed a conversation between in person panelists, the twittersphere, and live video participants in Beirut. Bonus star power: Craig “Craig’s List” Newmark chimed in from the audience during Q&A.

(Visual notes part 1: Free Agents and Nonprofits in a Networked World)

(Visual notes part 2: Free Agents and Nonprofits in a Networked World)

Right after that panel, I scooted over to an Interactive Telecommunications Program alumni and current student meetup where I got to reconnect with grad school friends and meet some new people from the ITP family. Also attending, super-mensch and ITP professor, Clay Shirky.

After the ITP gathering I drove to the outskirts of Austin for an eclectic gathering called the Monks of Invention which turned out to involve barbecue, hot tubbing, and renaissance italian inspired architecture. Oh, and a bunch of pleasant and smart InterTube hackers.

My last day I had a great lunch with my friend Christina Arnold where we chatted about some projects her nonprofit PreventHumanTrafficking.org is working on.

I am now back in Pittsburgh, regrouping before heading to Washington DC tomorrow, Friday March 18, to do graphic recording (large scale visual notes) for another panel with Beth Kanter and friends at the Nonprofit Technology Conference. The topic for this one: I’ve Found My Free Agent, Now What?

I had a great time in Austin. For me above all, SXSW Interactive is a fantastic place to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Thanks to everyone who made this years festival a great one.
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Bonus: Note—I forgot to add a few lines about the OgilvyNotes project. Ogilvy Mather is an International advertising, marketing and public relations agency which did a partnership with some other folks who do what I do: large scale visual notes of real time conversations. They created visual notes of scads of panels and talks at SXSW. They did it right, with big sheets of foamboard, multiple visual notes artists, and glossy color printouts of the notes that they gave to conference attendees. And being Ogilvy, they know how to get media coverage, which they did in spades. Among the artists were my friends Heather Willems and Nora Herting of ImageThink. Nice work folks! I was happy that Ogilvy included one of the pieces of visual notes that I created—this one.

These are visual notes I created for the panel “Nonprofits and Free Agents in a Networked World. Beth Kanter of Zoetica Media the moderated fellow panelists Danielle Brigida of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Mark Horvath of Invisible People and Jessica Dheere, of Social Media Exchange Beirut in Lebanon.

Deborah Askenase took some good text notes of the proceedings.

Had a blast creating these large scale visual notes at the The Future of Nonprofits : Thrive and Innovate in the Digital Age book reading at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival.

Practical and crucial insights from authors David J Neff and Randal Moss.

If you are going to be at South By Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin be sure to get within high-five distance and slap me some skin.

I love SXSWi because so many people from so many networks converge on the mega event and it offers unparalleled opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

If you are there and want to have lunch/beer/coffee/ etc. call or text me at 646-209-7204.

I will be doing graphic recording for two events about opportunities and pitfalls for nonprofits in the networked age:

2) The Future of Nonprofits : Thrive and Innovate in the Digital Age (Book reading: more info about the book.)

Speakers:

David J. Neff
Randall Moss Social Media & Digital Mktg Mgr MWV

Time
Saturday March 12
9:30AM

Venue
Austin Convention Center
Ballroom G
500 E Cesar Chavez St

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But wait, there’s more!

Nonprofits and Free Agents in A Networked World

Time:
Sunday March 13
3:30PM

Venue:
Austin Convention Center
Room 6AB
500 E Cesar Chavez St

Paneleists:

Beth Kanter CEO of Zoetica Media
Danielle Brigida Digital Mktg Mgr National Wildlife Federation
Jessica Dheere Founder/Dir Social Media Exchange
Mark Horvath

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In addition to these events, I am excited to reconnect with my friends from ITP, IFVP, VizThink, IndyHall, PhillyCHI, the Yahoo Videoblogger Group, and my now defunct but formerly awesome interactive web TV show Jonny’s Par-tay. And don’t forget Kroosh.

See you in Austin!

(animation by Jonny Goldstein)

Photos by Casey West shared under a Creative Commons Share Alike/Attribution License

Our fabulous Ignite Pittsburgh audience

Me in my emcee garb

A talk about the depravity of nature

Tom McGraw on Pittsburgh food

Chelsey Delaney on Design and Humor

These were the speakers:

FOR EVERyOUNG…I LOVE YOUth Ethan Clay
Happiness is a Warm Pun Chelsey Delaney
An Introduction to Posthuman Factors Haakon Faste
Jóvenes SIN Nombres, Jóvenes Con Sueño
Youths WITHOUT Names, Youths WITH Dreams Michal Friedman
The Ultimate Interface: New Interfaces For Tombstones. Jonny Goldstein
Tommy Wright The III: An Internet Rap-Mystery Greg Johnson
Why Yinz Have Pittsburghese N’at Scott Kiesling
Nature is depraved! Matty Lau
Morning, Noon & Night: Pittsburgh Food Done Right Tom McGraw & Sarah Sudar
Biosphere 2 + Future Symbiosis Patrick Millard
Kiva Pittsburgh Megan Riggs
Tangled in a Web of Things Hans Scharler

Ignite Pittsburgh was produced by Julia Pellicciaro., Robert Blackwell, and Jonny Goldstein. We could not have done it without our volunteers:

Casey West, photog & videographer
Chelsey Delaney, assistant sound woman
Shelly Parver, door person
Mary Beth Wilson, door person

And big thanks to everyone who came out and helped us heat Pittsburgh up on a cold night!

Next Ignite Pittsburgh will be May 12 back at Brillobox.

If you want to help out with the next event, or if you want to give a talk, go to IgnitePittsburgh.com and ping us.

Keep those synapses firing and see you in May!

Was honored to see my graphic recording featured on the TEDxPhilly homepage with the caption “Jonny Goldstein captures the essence of each speaker through sketching.” The event featured speakers talking about innovative projects springing from the fertile minds of residents of the USA’s 5th most populous metro region.

There are also links to videos of the talks as well as photos from the event.