The concepts of networking and being connected have been critical components of doing business for ages. Technologies like LinkedIn and Facebook have allowed us to expand our professional networks online.

However, the one social network that I’ve derived the most professional value out of thus far has been Twitter, hands down. For those that aren’t familiar with Twitter, it’s a growing social network of about one million users, built upon short, 140-character status updates (or "tweets") between participants.

Twitter is virtually spam-free and has connected me to dozens of like-minded people working in similar industries here in Des Moines, and beyond. Eventually I’ve ended up meeting most of these connections in real life, either through Des Moines Twitter Meetups (we call them "TweetUps") or at industry conferences.

So, if you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, an entrepreneur, or in a sales role, I would absolutely recommend adding Twitter to your social networking toolbox. (I’m assuming you already have a presence on LinkedIn – but if not, you should do so.)

One thing to note about using Twitter: Unlike LinkedIn, you’re expected to not just have a presence there, but participate in all the conversation going on. Twitter’s value comes from the quality of conversation you engage in and the quality of connections – not the quantity.

Happy tweeting!

This is just a glimpse of the patchwork of business cards that I collected during the SXSW Interactive festival. Of course, the festival isn’t about biz cards – it’s about new friends, valuable connections and absorbed insight that will last for years.

After Sunday’s trainwreck/debacle/revolt at the Mark Zuckerberg SXSW keynote, the Facebook founder decided to engage in a “redo” conversation today at Pangaea during a Facebook developer meetup. I learned about this spur-of-the-moment event via Robert Scoble’s Twitter feed and instantly rushed to Pangaea in a cab.

Below is a short video I captured of Zuckerberg taking the stage. Today’s conversation was good for him, especially in light of yesterday’s bizarre keynote interview. He took open Q&A from the crowd and seemed to be more comfortable, in his element, and confident in what he was saying.

(Image by Brian Solis on Flickr)

Today during the Mark Zuckerberg keynote at SXSW, a compelling thing happened. Zuck was interviewed by author and BusinessWeek reporter Sarah Lacy, and meanwhile, all sorts of chatter and criticism (mostly directed at Lacy’s interview style) was happening among audience members via various back channels such as Twitter and Meebo.

The silently-brewing revolt finally came to a head when Lacy mentioned the infamous Lesley Stahl interview a second time in response to Zuckerberg answering only with one-word responses, and Zuckerberg quipped: “You have to ask questions.” An overjoyed cheer erupted from the mob – hundreds of angry monkeys who seemingly felt jilted out of a keynote conversation. By the end of the interview, Sarah Lacy’s frustration with the Twitter Mob was evident.

Lacy: “Could somebody send me a message and tell me how I sucked so badly?”
Audience member, into the mic: “Check Twitter.”

Actually, this was the second time mob rule took over at SXSW this week – it also happened at the metrics panel on day two. This backlash is really less about Mark Zuckerberg and Sarah Lacy, and is totally a microcosm of what happens every day within disruptive social mediums, whether it’s a blogger calling out bad customer service at Dell, or a Taco Bell patron posting a video of rats running around the kitchen on YouTube.

The tools are at our disposal, so corporations and institutions must be prepared for disruption and know how to respond.

UPDATE / 6:44 pm: Jesse from BitStrips sent this comic to me:

Unbelievable! Day one of SXSW was packed with fantastic conversations and invaluable new friends. The day started with bacon, biscuits and a social media chat with former colleague Greg Swan (new media guru and founder of Perfect Porridge), Jim Turner of One by One Media and Rick Calvert, co-founder of BlogWorld.

In the middle of sitting in on the “How to rawk SXSW” session, word started to spread via Twitter of an impromptu tweetup happening at Champions sports bar across the street. Greg and I immediately ran to join this, and met all sorts of Tweeps including the legendary @Pistachio, @simedia, @kristanaeher, @newmediajim, @twalk, @hansveld and @waderockett, among others. A quick, grainy video of the tweetup is below.

As if the day couldn’t get any better, Charlie the Unicorn stopped by for a beer before wandering off across the street. YES. We later met Brian Shaler of Crappy Graphs fame, the one-and-only Robert Scoble, and co-creator of Fantasy Congress (Andrew Lee) in the Hilton lobby bar.

Tomorrow I’m blasting off for Austin, Texas, for the 2008 South by Southwest interactive festival, a gathering of like-minded geeks, developers, designers, artists, entrepreneurs and gurus. I’ll be tweeting the entire time (assuming that Twitter doesn’t blow up from the massive increase in user activity). Looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting new ones, frosty beverages and heavy doses of inspiration.

SXSW always sets the tone for my year. If you’ve never attended, I highly recommend you budget for it in 2009!

Last Saturday I moved into the new Lava Row office, which is at 400 E. Locust in Des Moines’ gentrified East Village neighborhood. It’s great to finally have a home for the business, especially after a year of working from my house and various coffee shops. Please stop in for a visit if you’re in the area — visitors are always welcome! I’m way up in the tower, as shown in the photo below.