Impressions of Social Media Week Chicago at The Halfway Point

In case you've been hiding under a rock for the past few weeks or have absolutely no interest in social media (how dare you!), you're likely aware that this week is Social Media Week, a worldwide event hosted across more than a dozen cities worldwide. As someone that's now participated in a handful of events, I think I'm somewhat qualified to provide a quick summary of the first half of the Social Media Week experience.

Monday

I had family obligations on Monday, so I couldn't partake. However, from what I could see on Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook and other social channels, the highlight was definitely the kick off party at Rockit Bar & Grill. From the few pictures I saw, everyone had a great time and got even more "social" as the night went on...

Tuesday

There were a bunch of great sessions on Tuesday. The one I enjoyed the most was titled "Social Media -- You're Doing It Wrong!!" and featured a great panel of speakers including @socialkaty, @lgdrew, and others. It provided great context around key social media strategies and reminded us that understanding the social tools is important, but understanding your business goals is the key.

Wednesday

Today I've attended sessions around paid and earned Twitter offerings and how social media impacts the hiring process (moderated by social media rockstar @douglasLmiller). Tonight, I have plans to attend sessions on building a community (featuring @SteveGOGreen of #FoodieChats fame), the revenue impact of social media, and I'll even participate in a social experiment. It should be interesting if nothing else...

As I tweeted the other day, the best part about social media week is the people that you get to meet, so if you're out and about and see me, please come say hello.

So far, Social Media Week has lived up to the expectations I had and I think the best is yet to come. I'll report back in a few days with a recap of the second half... Hope to see many of you at the Social Media Club of Chicago event tomorrow night!

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