One of the new events at Macworld | iWorld 2012 was RapidFire, a two-hour session of 5-minute Ignite-style talks. I’ve written on the Writer Way blog about strategies for preparing Ignite talks, and saw some of those same strategies used successfully at RapidFire.
A few of us employed the “10 tips” (or “5 tips”) approach to present highlights in a broad topic. A number of presenters, including Chris Breen, focused tightly on a “how-to” topic. Breen’s “how to rip DVDs” was a standout because he recommended specific software, whipped you through the basic steps, and then spent time on the two or three points in the process where people would need help getting past arcane technical menus.
Having been one of the people who last year lobbied Paul Kent of IDG to add short talks to the Macworld | iWorld lineup, I was delighted to get to give one — and thrilled that the event was so crowded that they ended up turning people away at the door.
Here are a few reviews of RapidFire from press and bloggers (some of which mention my talk “The 10 Wildest Things People Do with Their iPhones”):
“The Best from Macworld’s RapidFire Event,” by Mike Vardy, Cult of Mac
“Brevity is the soul of wit at Rapid Fire session,” by Jeff Porten, Macworld.com
“10 MacWorld Rapid Fire Tips for Mac, iPhone, and iPad,” by IvanExpert
I’m still rooting through brochures, giveaways, business cards, and digital photos to assemble my list of cool iPhone apps from the show (and I found one that I think you’re going to love). Meanwhile, those of you who’d like a big-picture summary of the show should check out:
“Macworld | iWorld 2012: In a Word, Confident,” by Adam Engst, TidBITS. (It explains the very strange text message I got from Adam, telling me to look both ways when I cross the street.)
“Macworld|iWorld 2012 completes post-Apple transition to ‘iFan event’,” by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica
Karen Anderson
iPhone 4 Tips 