I love customers. Hate cameras. I’ve always focused on making sure the focus is on someone else.

So how in the heck did I get nominated for several panels at SXSW Interactive? Blame it on the PR machine I do.  And they spelled my name wrong – it is “La Gesse”

But whatever – it is what it is – and I love these panels. I could talk about most of this in my sleep so I think my stage fright will be overcome quickly (besides, when Scoble works for you, you damn well better not be afraid of cameras!)

So what are the panels?

Glad you asked – here they are:

OMG My Customer Has a Megaphone

Companies used to get away with treating customers like livestock with no repercussions, but now customers have a megaphone: the social web, and they’re not afraid to use it. Hear from Rackspace and other customer-centric companies as they share real case studies and tips about how to embrace Customer Service 2.0

Building and Creating New Business Models in the Cloud

New models for product development and marketing using social media tools and techniques which truly engage users, partners and developers are emerging. Join Lew Moorman and Robert Scoble from Rackspace who will discuss Building43, a new online community breaking down barriers to new ideas for business, and changing the world.

Managing a Crisis in a Hyper-Communicative World

Today, crisis can spread like a disease, mutating and growing as it goes, and wreaking havoc on your reputation, customer base and sales pipeline. How can you take back control, not only for the benefit of your organization, but to best guide your customers and investors through the situation?

I am most interested in the second one, but most excited to talk about the third one.  And I love the first one

I am a customer guy – so I love all of these.  I would relish doing ANY of them.  I would probably be overwhelmed if I had to do all of them!

Voting supposedly closed today, but rumor has it that you have until Monday.  Doesn’t matter.  I planned this post for AFTER voting was closed because I’m just not that “whore myself out” kinda guy (except on Twitter, where I have damned near begged for votes!). OK, perhaps I am.  Whatever

If you are interested in SXSW – or me, or Rackspace, or customers – go see if you can still vote!  Click a link above.

Rob

Anyway, this morning I woke to this drawing, emailed to me from my daughter.  She drew it on her Wacom tablet.

My daughter is always thinking of me.  She will make a great artist (and perhaps even a great wife and mother, should she decide to push her skill-sets) some day.   Love her to death.

Later my kids did the grocery shopping, and fixed me a wonderful meal, which they insisted we ate at the table together (at 18 and 20, my kids are rarely home for meals, much less eating together!).

My son has recently started cooking – and he has a knack for it.  Love him as well!

It was a wonderful day.

But not for everyone.

This conversation, which my friend Robert Scoble started, explains why.  Hard to enjoy this day when so much of the world is in pain.

If you can stomach it, here is the before and after photos of one father’s daughter on Father’s Day.  Don’t click if you are squeamish.  She was shot and killed while walking in a peaceful protest with her father.

I am proud that I served my country, and am inspired by all of those in Iran who are doing the same.  Sounds like a cliche, but freedom really isn’t free.

Ask Neda’s father.

Because we can’t ask Neda.

That is actually an interesting fact about Rackspace – every employee is treated as a trusted friend.  We see the books.  We know the numbers.  We know how we are doing, and how we depend on each other to get better, and to do better.

And we let people find what they are good at, and where they best fit in.

Think that is bullshit?

In 11 days I will have been at Rackspace for exactly one year.  After one year I’ll feel more comfortable calling myself a Racker.  I feel like one – just don’t feel as if I have “earned it” yet

I was hired in the Cloud division.  To manage developers.  I now work for Rackspace proper – doing something MUCH different then I was hired to do.  Many companies would not have worked with me to find that “sweet spot” – they would have parted ways with me before they put that effort into the relationship.

Instead, Rackspace let me go try something new (to us).  I took over our Cloud blog, and our Twitter account.  And it worked – pretty well.  They let me build an event for SXSW in Austin – which was amazing, and very well received.

And then they let me do something really out there – I hired Robert Scoble and Rocky Barbanica.  And then we built building43.com, which is yet another experiment.  One I have a lot of passion for.  One I truly believe in, and am passionate about.

And I think that’s the key that Rackspace has figured out – they let people follow their passion.  And they work with those employees to find a way to make that passion make sense.  For the Racker, for Rackspace, and for investors.

So I was hired to manage developers.  Instead I am managing emerging media, building a truly unique web property, and trying to find a completely new way to do both marketing and PR in a public company.

Not bad for the first year.  Wonder what they will let me try in the second?  Guess that depends on how these current projects work out!

But it is pretty damned cool to be able to TRY – to do something totally new.  To have the company see if it fails instead of demanding proof it will succeed before they even try.

If you think hosting companies are boring, you haven’t worked at Rackspace.  We are anything but boring – we are pushing the envelope in ways most companies aren’t.

And that’s why I love it here.

Join us   We’re hiring.

Always.

Rob

I’ve even got a post on the new site.  But it isn’t my site.  It belongs to the community that builds it.  You can join that community.  Learn how here.

It’s been a blast working on the site.  This is something completely fresh – from the graphics to the design.  The content and the idea behind the site – all new.

My employer, Rackspace, is backing the site.  It is an interesting challenge.  It has been from the day we decided to hire Robert Scoble and Rocky Barbanica.  Interesting because the idea is so unique that it is hard to describe.  A site that has no revenue model.  No marketing message.  It exists to help people use the new Internet to improve their own websites.  Particularly businesses.  If we help a business increase sales 10-15%, perhaps they will hire another employee.  Perhaps the increase in their sales means on of their vendors needs to hire more help.

Perhaps we can help the struggling economy one helpful post at a time.  Who knows?  Since it’s not been done in this way before – nobody knows.  But we have sure busted ass trying to find out!

I encourage you to go look at building43.  I am very proud of what the team has built.  I am proud to have my name associated with it.  And I am very, very happy that Robert and Rocky are with us on this project.  On paper, they work for me – but in actuality, we all work for the same purpose.  We all have a burning desire to build something truly meaningful – something truly helpful.

Let me know what you think!

Rob

I have just accepted a position as Director of Software Development for Mosso.

Mosso is based in San Antonio, and is part of Rackspace.

So, why did I choose Mosso?  From the web site:

We started Mosso because we knew there were web developers who wanted a reliable platform for their applications and email–without being the ones responsible for all the technology.

Basically, Mosso does, on a much larger scale, what I have been doing as a consultant for the last few years – stripping as much of the technology details as possible out of the lives of people that have an idea and/or dream – they want to build the idea, not manage the server, or the databases.  They want to be able to focus on building what they envision.  I’ve helped people focus on that – Mosso lets thousands of people do the same.

That’s what Mosso does.  And more.  And in very cool ways.

Mosso also passed all of my test points:

• I need to build teams.
• I need to work with smart people.
• I need a voice.
• I need responsibility, accountability, AND authority.
• I need the security of a larger company with the atmosphere of a startup.
• I needed a company that is nimble – it can quickly adjust to change, and new ideas.
• My work must have value to me, and to others.
• The impact has to have a large footprint.  I like building big!

So, how did Mosso do on this list?  Extremely well.  I will not be building one team – but several teams.  I have met some of the smartest people – all in one company in downtown San Antonio.

My position is a senior one – I will eventually have a large team – and many of them I will need to hire.  That is important work that is important to the company, and to my new coworkers.  I’ll be allowed to run my teams and do my job – I’ll be helping grow/invent/implement some very cool technology.

The work environment is amazing – we have real humans at Mosso 24/7.  We have developers on call 24/7.  We work 24/7 (so you don’t have to!).  Developers build their own schedules for covering “on call” – they don’t need a “manager” – they are managing quite well right now   So I will focus on improving our processes and hiring more talented people (call me if you are interested – 210-845-4440).

New employees get their choice of computers.  You want a Windows desktop? – no problem.  One monitor, or two?  You want a 17” MacBook Pro (I Do!) – that’s cool as well.  One monitor, or two?  It’s really up to you.  Since we are building computing for the cloud, the systems we personally choose don’t really matter (except for where you feel most productive!).

Like any startup, you have a lot to do – your job description might as well read, “Succeed”.  I like that.  But we’re also backed by Rackspace – a very strong company (and a very cool company to work at in their own right – they’ve won a lot of awards for being a cool place to work).

I first met the Mosso crew when I invited Robert Scoble to come to San Antonio – I was just introduced to a couple of them – I didn’t get a chance to talk to them.  But a few weeks later I looked into what they were doing.  I became a customer.  I was (and am even more so now) impressed.  Those blog posts started a conversation that eventually led to here.  It was not planned.

But I am very pleased to be in an exciting position at Mosso – and am very happy to be part of the Rackspace family.  I am a Racker, and already proud of it

I won’t be able to talk much about what I am doing for a while.  But once I can, I’ll be sure to share my experience with you.

But as I learn more about Mosso, and what my teams look like – I’ll share that with you. 

Because I wouldn’t go to work for a company that didn’t excite me   And challenge me.

This one does.

Robert is a reporter.  But he is also "drinking his own Kool-Aid".  He loves everything new on the web and often tells us how great it is.

Then he moves on to the next shiny lure – leaving everyone else to figure out how the last lure adds value (often leaving the company behind the technology wondering the same things).

Robert is great at finding the new shiny lures, and sharing them with us.  I just wish he would make the next (logical, I think) step – offer me some analysis.  How can a banker, or a broker – a webmaster or a PR Pro benefit from the shiny lure?  What does the lure offer beyond the initial allure?

Yes, I want Robert to think deeper and analyze things more.

And I want him to do it because I know that he can – he just has no time.  He flippers from one shiny lure to the other so quickly that he never let’s the hook sink in.  Nothing lasts longer than the first, fleeting strike.  The last video was the last video.  The next lure is the next video.

With a few exceptions, like QIK.  Maybe FriendFeed (but I think that lasts another three months for Scoble, tops).

FaceBook was THE INTERNET as far as Robert was concerned – and that lasted a long time. But Robert sees a lot of shiny lures.

I would like him to spend more time telling me (based on real research) which ones I should strike at.  Where my time and money are best spent, and why.

The "RSS Aggregator of the week" just isn’t it.

Robert’s "Social Problem" is that he can’t recommend everything to us and have us still find him credible.  And like any other "Sales Pitch" – people need to know how it will help them.  Not just Robert Scoble, but his viewers.  His "Social Problem" is that he is not having the conversation with his audience that they want.  They don’t just want a cheerleader – they want guidance.  And examples.

And finally, they want something that works for "real people" – and not just Robert Scoble.

And the most cool thing about writing this is that I know it won’t piss Robert off -  He saves that for the Gillmor Gang!

It is drop-dead-easy to use.  And it can produce some pretty interesting results.  Like these pictures combined from the photos I took when FastComapny.TV was filming at Sea World, San Antonio.

Click to enlarge.

Here Shel is talking to Scoble, talking to himself, AND merged in with Fran from Sea World.  This merged five photos. I know it looks like four – trust me, it was five

This is a stitch up of a couple photos showing the lake at Sea World (and another coaster in the background)

You can get Windows Live Photo Gallery here.  It is free.

ATT is headquartered here, and Robert uses ATT – so I would hope the network was above par.  Plus we have a lot of large companies here and a huge Military presence – all are heavy consumers of high-speed wireless data.

Just another reason San Antonio is a great place to build a business.  The Scoble videos coming up over the next few weeks will give you many more reasons.

Here’s one of my favorite – The Flying Saucer (and yes, I know other cities have a Flying Saucer – but not as nice as mine!).  From last night – a Scoble Qik video – live streaming videos of a gaggle of geeks guzzling grog.  And yes, that’s me on the still frame below.  I am afraid to say.

And yes – this was March 12, 2008.  And yes, nobody has a jacket on, and there is no snow.  Just the way I like it!

I’ll post more about the entire experience later – but let me just say for now that we didn’t just have fun – we met some great tech people, I found a new developer for one of my projects, I found a new home for a bunch of overseas blogger’s that I have been hosting on my private server, I made a dozen new friends, and the real “event” hasn’t even started.  I haven’t named this event (which I hope becomes an annual one), but I am thinking of stealing a tagline from Rackspace and call it simply “Tech Town”.

You can hear more about Tech Town when Robert gets his videos of Rackspace online.

Today Scoble meets up with a half dozen local tech companies – all in one room, all with interesting stories.  I’ll let Robert tell the stories, through his videos, but I’ll give you my own perspective on the experience tomorrow.

Should be fun!

Rob

They were all working – filming an episode for FastCompany.TV – I was just trying to stay out of the way.

Before the actual interviews started Robert broadcast live on QIK from his cell phone:

Below are some still shots. My second Sony DSC-F717 still doesn’t record video correctly – so I am going to have to buy a new digital camcorder. Ugh.

Click any picture for a larger view.

Here Robert and Rocky set up the shot. The two HD cameras are very nice – they even sync the audio from the remote microphone to each camera. Very cool.
	Kami and Shel (and two Sea World employees, Fran and Bob) have just finished the ride. They are all wearing ponchos because this particular roller coaster ends up crashing into a lake – and it was cold outside!
Shel and Robert, framing the shot, checking the sound.
	Shel interviews Kami.
Shel solo – just behind him is the landing zone for the coaster (boat). I saw some of the video Robert and Rocky shot – you’ll be able to get a very good feel for this ride once Shel posts this episode.
	Preparing to launch.
One last shot of Shel.

A few weeks ago I realized that Robert Scoble will be in Austin, TX for SXSWi. Wow – “Austin is close to San Antonio”, I thought.

Then I went to sleep.

The next day I woke up and thought, “Why not invite Robert to San Antonio”?

The worst thing that could happen is that he would say no.

He didn’t.

Robert is coming to San Antonio at my simple request to “come see what we are building”.

OK.  So Scoble is visiting – I found that I had some work to do – like lining up companies for Robert to meet with!

I’ve spent two weeks explaining to some local tech companies what I am planning, what Robert does (in some cases) and mostly, “Why I am doing this”.

Simply put, I am doing this because San Antonio does a horrible job (my opinion) of highlighting the tech that we invent here. From Wireless Networking, PC Networking, the Personal Computer, Personal Home Networks, and more – it was either invented here, or has deeps roots here.  But nobody seems to realize that.

So I want to fix that misperception.  More importantly, I want people to know what we are building today.

That’s all I want.  I am not making any money off of this whatsoever.  None of the companies I represent will be presenting to Robert.  My interests are pure.

But I still spent most of my day today working out details.  I’ve completed the company list (and if you are a local tech company that I have not talked to please feel free to contact me anyway.  We probably can’t get you into this session, but I plan on doing this again, and again.  With Scoble, if I can get him back again next year.  So call me.  Let’s talk).

So here’s my respect for conference organizers – what you do is like herding wet and feral cats. Everyone has their own agenda.  And that is fine. As long as they respect MY agenda – which is the end-goal -  highlighting San Antonio Tech to Robert Scoble – and through him, to the world

And I’m not even doing this alone – a local company has generously agreed to step up and handle most of the details. I’ll talk more about them, and the other companies Scoble will meet with in a future post – probably after the event.

I can’t imagine how much a conference organizer has to deal with – the different needs/concerns of each company, the demands for details before details are available, the “we will ifs” – an amazingly complex juggling act.

So Kudos to conference organizers everywhere.  You’ve earned my respect over the last couple of weeks!

And more on this as it develops.  But rest assured – Robert and Rocky WILL see some cool stuff, and they will enjoy great Texas hospitality!