What can city people learn from rural folks?

If my own experience is any indication – a TON.

Thanks to a diverse social network that includes interesting people in small towns and rural areas, I’ve learned so much over the last few years about the hopes, dreams, troubles and blissful moments of people who live in what I used to call “out in the middle of nowhere.”

They’re more tech-savvy than you’d think …. I recently found an AgChat Foundation Facebook discussion about the hot new Pinterest social sharing service and how farmers might use it for “agvocacy.”

You know that ongoing discussion about getting broadband internet access out into rural areas? It sure seems similar to efforts in the 1930′s to get electricity and telephone service out to less-populated places, and the same objections are being raised; it’s too expensive, there aren’t enough people to justify it, it’s a “luxury” they don’t really need, etc.  I never really thought about this problem until I got to know some small town geeks.

At last fall’s 140 Characters/State of NOW Small Town communications conference in Hutchinson, Kansas, I was honored to be chosen as one of the speakers, and I talked about this personal awakening.

There were some video problems at first, so all I have for you is the audio recording, but it’s only about 10 minutes and I talk fast.

Here’s the direct link to the audio file if you can’t see the embed box below:  http://blip.tv/140confevents/140conf-smalltown-2011-sheila-scarborough-city-kid-among-the-cattle-5639673 

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For those who are not surrounded by like-minded people (whether you’re into chess, growing roses or technology) the world can feel like a lonely place.

“Am I the only one who understands chess problems like Allumwandlung and Maximummer and Zepler doubling?”

“Am I some sort of nutball because I really like deciding between spotted-bloom roses like Cramoisi Picoté and striped ones like Patriot Kordana?”

“No one else in my small town seems to ‘get’ why I care about broadband Internet access, why I blog and what in the world I’m doing on Twitter.”

Fortunately, social web tools like blogs, Twitter, Facebook and the still-relevant forum/BBS make it so much easier than it used to be to find people who share your enthusiasms and interests.  I’m not up to speed on where chess or rose people hang out online, but I can tell you where a bunch of rural and small town technology and social media enthusiasts will be on September 20, 2011.

They’ll be at the 140 Characters Conference Small Town in the gorgeous Fox Theatre in downtown Hutchinson, Kansas.

Uh, where?

Look below:

Right; so if you’re a city kid like me, you’re probably thinking….geesh, look at all that empty space, and those absolutely straight roads going through nothingness, it’s probably flat as a pancake, and I think I recognize the name Wichita for that nearby city….look, did I hear correctly….this is a technology event in the middle of Kansas?

It is, and I give it my City Kid Stamp of Approval.

Not that rural folks need any approval from anyone, and that’s partly the point of this particular event – rural and small town people are geeks and communicators just like urbanites, but it’s a bit harder for them to find one another, learn and socialize when they’re all spread out in less populated areas. This is the first technology-based conference that brings them all together, on their terms but with a global audience, in a cool small town like “Hutch,” with speakers that include farmers, ranchers and small town economic development experts who don’t think a one-stoplight community is a bad idea at all.

After attending the first version of 140 Small Town in 2010, I knew I’d return this year, and I’m honored to be one of many speakers from 17 states on the schedule. My topic is “City Kid Among the Cattle - How Twitter Connects Me to Another World,” wherein I’ll talk about my newfound appreciation, thanks to Twitter, of wide-open spaces, cattle management and farm equipment with mysterious prongy things.

Each speaker only gets one 10-15 minute time slot (better make it snappy!) and no PowerPoint is allowed.  WIN.

Follow the #140conf hashtag on Twitter for info and discussion about all the 140 conferences, including this one, and if you can’t make it in person, Small Town will be livestreamed on UStream.

The best idea, though, is to see it in person: student passes are only $14 and pssst….for non-students/adults, code “friendof140″ gives you a nice, fat discount when you register here.

If you’re a journalist or media person who would like to cover the conference and/or the topic of tech in small towns, here’s the excellent, comprehensive Small Town Media page.

For a quick 90 second overview of the conference, here’s my Tourism Currents business partner Becky McCray (who organizes Small Town along with its original founder Jeff Pulver) on an Oklahoma Horizon TV episode (direct link to video here.)

Hope I meet you in Hutchinson!

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I’m working on a book, and it’s NOT about travel or social media!

Seems as though every time I turn around these days, someone I know is cranking out a book. For speakers like me, it’s almost a rite of passage.

I spent a lot of time wrestling with the idea, and trying to figure out why my portfolio of print articles and blog posts since early 2006 wasn’t enough to give me the credibility that can apparently – even today – only come from a book.

Honestly, it seems a bit silly that all of my tech and blogging buddies consider a book, made of paper, to be a pinnacle of geek achievement. Does anyone else find that a bit, well, ODD?

So I did what I do….I stewed and pouted and tried to find reasons to say No, and ultimately it ended up the way it always does for me….I decided that it was worth my time and effort to write a book, but not the one that people might expect.

A travel guidebook is a pain in the rear to compile and write, there’s no real money in it and it’s often outdated very quickly.

A social media book would be a rather naked bid to catch this year’s hot marketing topic. An offline entity doesn’t seem like the best medium to convey thoughts about online topics – especially when this blog works just fine for that, thanks.

I wanted something evergreen; something that could be picked up at a bookstore or ordered online five years from now, and would still be relevant, engaging and helpful.  When in doubt, I turn to my own experiences because I know them best, and thus was born The Elastic Waist Entrepreneur (or here is the book’s Facebook Page, if that’s your thing.) It’s about launching an online business for older women, especially when you really don’t know what the hell you’re doing, like me.

Since I have this project on the brain, I submitted a speaking proposal with serial entrepreneur Wendy Piersall to the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) tech conference, held every March in Austin, Texas.  It’s right down the road from me, and I’d be an idiot not to attend one of the world’s biggest tech events when it’s a 30 minute drive away.

As part of the unique Panel Picker process at SXSW, you can vote for and comment on proposals, so here is my shameless plug for you to add your vote and voice to the comments about the proposal, if you’d like.

Our proposal page: Elastic Waist Entrepreneurship for Women 40+

Why elastic waists? Because as a comfort-seeking old lady of 50, that’s what I was wearing when I came up with the book idea.

No matter how it ends up, thanks for your support, and see you in Austin in March 2012!

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On the first day of the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) tech conference in Austin, I was part of a video interview project led by Nancy Spears and the genConnect team out of Colorado.

Here are their thoughts on 10 people at SXSW you should include in your social network, which includes a sidebar viewer with all of the videos. I’m rather honored to see that my interview ended up between Rick Murray’s (head of Edelman Chicago) and Jay Rosen’s (renowned journalism professor at NYU.)

In my roughly 3 minute interview (complete with an offstage shout-out by passing Hawaii social media goddess Neenz Faleafine) I described what Becky McCray and I do with social media education at Tourism Currents, how destination marketing today demands more personal interaction with visitors (including online) and how strongly we believe that most tourism pros can already do the really important stuff, which is a lot harder to teach than technology:  creating a compelling portrait of their destination in the eyes of visitors.

The vision and story….you already have it and that’s the hard part, not Facebook, Twitter, blogs et al.

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After our great experience holding the 140 Characters Conference Small Town in the restored Fox Theatre in Hutchinson, Kansas, I began thinking about how small towns with the right timing, venue, networks and entrepreneurial spirit can host more tech- and social media-related events.

The result of my musings was an article I wrote for the January 2011 issue of PCMA Convene (the magazine for the Professional Convention Management Association) and a guest post on the PCMA blog: “Small-Town, Not Small-Time.”

An excerpt from the post:

“Some tips on using a small town venue for digital gatherings:

1) Don’t make assumptions about which places can and can’t host. The 140 Characters conferences, for example, “are usually and most effectively held in theaters; in fact, the very first one in New York was based on the idea of [a Twitter-like] one hundred and forty characters gathering together in an off-Broadway theater,” said SmallTown’s lead organizer Becky McCray, who has also spoken at 140 Conferences in London and Detroit. “All we had to do was bring WiFi (wireless Internet) into Hutchinson’s Fox Theatre, and it was perfect.”

For the rest of the tips, see the full article about how an Art Deco theater hosted a bunch of modern geeks, in “Small-Town, Not Small-Time.”

So many small towns and rural areas fight the image of being backward, and they find it tough to draw and hold onto talent.  The web and social media changes that, and consequently can have a big impact on economic development.

For more on that, keep an eye on the next 140 Conference Small Town, again in Hutchinson, on September 20, 2011.

Like most people, I’m reviewing my schedule for 2011 and seeing how things are stacking up.

In response to a question in the LinkedIn Group for TSNN (Trade Show News Network) here are the 2011 conferences and online events that I currently plan to attend to support my work in tourism and social media and the entrepreneurial life in general….

1) First, I’ll talk about paying the bills with the Freelancer February webinar series, run by the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) National Tech Committee and presented by Freelance Austin, where I’m a Board member. We’ll have one webinar per week in February related to successful freelancing, and I’m kicking off on Feb 1 with a one-hour presentation entitled “No, You May NOT Pick My Brain: Drawing the Line Between Free and Paid.”  Free for AWC members, $39 for non-members.

2) SXSW Interactive (SXSWi) in March in Austin TX. It’s called Geek Spring Break for a reason;  5 days of crazy and 12,000+ people, but “the future happens here.” I do not miss it – not because of the panels, usually, but because of the critical mass of interesting people who attend from around the tech world. Here is a SXSW survival guide from a local (me.)

3) SOBCon, 29 April – 1 May, in Chicago IL. Business and social media think tank, with a unique Models and Masterminds format and a good example of how social media turns conferences into communities. This is the event where I actually get to talk to those I couldn’t get to in the SXSWi scrum, and it draws a strong cross-section of business people. This is where Becky McCray and I first discussed the idea that became Tourism Currents.

4) Writer’s League of Texas Agents and Editors conference 2011, June, in Austin. Because it’s finally book-writing time for me, and I’m exploring publishing options.  My tentative book topic is about starting an online business when you’re over 40.

5) Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) annual convention, July, in New Orleans. I’m putting in a proposal to speak at this one.  Some jazz at Snug Harbor would be good, too.

6) 140 Characters Conference Small Town, September, in Hutchinson KS. Communications in the “state of now” with small town, rural and economic development angles and a huge variety of speakers.

7) TTIA’s Texas Travel Summit and/or Texas Association of CVBs (TACVB) conference. Covers all aspects of the Texas state travel and tourism industries. Still deciding between the two.

8 ) BlogWorld and New Media Expo, early Nov, normally Las Vegas but may change. Becky and I run the BlogWorld tourism track at this must-attend event for thousands of online publishers.

9) SoMeT (Symposium on Social Media in Tourism) in Nov, location TBD. I spoke at the first one last year, and it was dynamite. Social media-savvy tourism and hospitality experts from CVBs and DMOs large and small.

10)  Very Cool Tourism Currents Webinar Series That I Can’t Talk About Yet.  Working on a series of educational webinars this year, produced by Becky and me and featuring some really smart guests. More to follow!

Holy smokes – just reading all that is sending me for another cup of coffee.

Will I see you at any of the above?

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How would your 25-year-old self react if he or she heard you say, ”I’m too old to figure out all of this technology and social media stuff?”

Think about the words that might be used.

“Age has nothing to do with it.”

“You’re smart; what’s the problem?”

“You only need to be willing to learn and try.”

“If you can’t see the little smartphone screen, then put on some of those reading glasses you guys use.”

“But you love to write….tell stories….talk on the phone….see a good movie or TV show….meet people….share photos….  Is this so different?”

“Has this really happened to you? Why?”

Why, indeed.

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As both a speaker and enthusiastic attendee at lots of conferences, I’m getting tired of the squawking I sometimes hear about people “not paying attention because they’re tweeting.”  Speaker Tom Martin has some good thoughts about it in his post Don’t Tweet Me Man.

Look, I take notes on paper AND tweet. If I can pop up a Facebook post with something great you’ve said, I’ll work that in, too.

If I’m on my smartphone and nothing else during a presentation, I do find that I’m on Twitter less only because it’s so much easier to tweet from a proper keyboard on a netbook or laptop. I’m a fast typist and can keep up with the flow pretty well, but not on a smartphone keyboard.

If I can’t tweet at all (like at the Audience Conference or many TEDs) I’m still head-down and scribbling, but my paper notes become Twitter nuggets and Facebook posts later. Bottom line is, I’m getting it online no matter what.

I’m 49 years old, so please don’t lecture me about how to absorb what a speaker presents. I’ve been at it for a few decades, before presenters got the PowerPoint crutch and ever since summer debate camp in 1970′s high school, where we had to furiously take notes about the upcoming year’s topic, to four years in an honors liberal arts program (ever taken notes in a year-long, info-packed Philosophy class, or the “History of India from 1750?”) to earning my Master’s degree.

I know from note-taking.

The only difference now is that some of my notes are tweets….and speakers, I like broadcasting your wise words to the planet.

As a speaker myself, I’m FINE with it.  As an attendee, that’s what I’m going to do.

You’ll be happy to know that my tech-savvy teacher husband totally disagrees with me. Twenty-plus years of wedded bliss, so I guess that isn’t a deal-breaker.

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The Web means you can live anywhere (even a small town or rural area) and still be connected to the world.

The Web means that any venue with good WiFi, even an historic Art Deco theater in a revitalizing downtown, can host a meeting for interesting people with something to share.

Social media means that a Kansas guy who uploads a pump jack photo on Twitter just for fun can be noticed by a smart, well-connected entrepreneur in Oklahoma, who also happens to know the guy who runs the 140 Characters Conference tech events worldwide (yes, that’s the back story on how the 140 Conference SmallTown ended up in Hutchinson, KS.)

I think this ties into all sorts of timely issues – how technology is making “flyover country” more visible and relevant in the modern world, creative approaches to economic and downtown development, the importance of rural broadband access in a connected world, the rise of the creative class outside of big cities and how Web connectivity lets you live anywhere you want to live.

I know the person in this short video below:  it’s Cody Heitschmidt, the guy who makes things happen in Hutchinson.

He is much too modest and self-deprecating, but I’ll say it  –  he sees future possibilities for his town way before others do.

I very much look forward to joining him in Hutch on November 1, 2010 when the rest of the world gets to meet him, too.

Here’s the direct link to the video, and if you want to attend the 140 Characters Conference SmallTown, use code 140disc when you register here, and save $40 off of the ticket price.

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There is an exciting new development for anyone who has ever wondered how to attract buzz and interest to their small town or rural area….and I’ll explain what a pump jack photo (to the left) has to do with it.

The popular 140 Characters Conference series – about Twitter and other communications in the “State of Now” –  has added a location to their event lineup that previously included gatherings in Los Angeles, Boston, Tel Aviv, New York London, San Francisco and Detroit.

It’s the 140 Conference SmallTown in Hutchinson, Kansas, at the historic downtown Fox Theatre on November 1, 2010.  There was an article about it in the Wichita Business Journal:  Big-city Twitter event coming to small-town Kansas.

If you’ve ever wanted to see how small towns and their economic development can benefit from technology, join me in “Hutch,” because I will not miss this one.

How did this thing end up in small town Kansas? Because of social media connections over a photo, and a blogger familiarization tour/press trip.

My Tourism Currents business partner Becky McCray posted a pump jack photo of her own onto Twitter  Update: Becky says it was the other way around - Hutchinson business guy Cody Heitschmidt put up a pump jack TwitPic photo and Becky saw and commented on it.

Becky and Cody then kept up a friendly chatter on Twitter for months. When Cody said that he’d like to work with his local CVB and the Cosmosphere space museum to bring some bloggers to see his hometown, Becky agreed to be one of them….and convinced me to go, too, despite my general skepticism about blogger fam (familiarization) tours.

It turned out to be a smashing success and an example of great tourism outreach (plus how else would I have gotten to see artifacts from Liberty Bell 7 at the Cosmosphere?)

So, guess which town was top of mind when Becky started organizing 140 Conference SmallTown?

It was solid social networking by some of the Hutch townsfolk, pure and simple.  They’re going to bring WiFi into the gorgeous Art Deco Fox Theatre, fill it with a bunch of blogging/Facebooking/video-ing/Tweeting geeks, and connect that town to the whole planet.

“Flyover country,” my hind end.

This is truly groundbreaking; it speaks to how the Web is starting to allow us to live where we want and connect with people worldwide from wherever we want to, as long as we have an Internet connection.

Want to attend? There’s still time – use code 140disc when you register here, and save $40 off of the ticket price.

See you in Hutch!