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One of the questions we get the most frequently is “what are we doing to engage the community after the conference?” It’s what I call the “so now what” question. It’s a very valid point. TEDxSMU only happens once a year on the scale of the October conference, and while the smaller events during the year are great for deep dives on singular topics, they leave a lot of room for ongoing discussion about the things that we discuss at the conference.
One of the immediate holes we identified was our web presence. This site (which, thanks to Chuck Barlow and Noah Jeppeson, just got a much-needed face lift) is still basically a brochure. You might be able to comment on a talk or a post, but there’s precious little by way of really engaging our online community, from conference-goers to community members to friends in other cities. So, when the folks at the relatively new YouPlusMedia asked if they could develop a channel page on YouPlusDallas.com, we jumped at the chance.
That channel page launched today with videos featuring talks from last year’s TEDxSMU conference, brand new videos from local thought leaders, and sub-channels that focus on some of the major topics we touch on at the TEDxSMU conference. But, most importantly, anyone can add to the conversation! Whether through commenting, posting a video opinion, or simply rating the different talks and content, we can really carry the conversation on long past the actual end of the conference.
So, check it out. I hope you like it. I surely do, and am so thankful to the team at YouPlusDallas for doing such a beautiful site for us!