The South By Southwest ("South-by" for insiders) festival draws thousands of creative people to Austin, Texas every spring for two weeks of interactive web stuff, music and film. In fact, SXSW celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2011.
Because South-by is a community-driven event, the organizers use a panel picker to help determine which sessions are held during the festival. You can learn more about the festival and about the panel picker here. You have to register in order to vote (free, painless). You can do that here.
There are 2,412 entries in the panel picker this year. We've looked through most of them, and below are some of our list of must-see, thumbs-up entries. Public voting ends this Friday (that's in two days!).
10 Tech Trends You Need to Know Now
Ok, so we're featuring this session because it's being presented by our very own Amy Webb. We can vouch for her. She does this session at conferences all over the world (never the same twice) and it's usually standing room only, with lots of people having to sit behind her on the stage or even out in the hallway.
Description: Three years ago, no one in the U.S. knew what a QR code was. Twitter was only an esoteric social messaging tool used primarily by geeks, and the iPhone had yet to reach critical mass. (Imagine -- we had to carry multiple devices to make calls, shoot video and connect to the Internet!) These were all emerging technologies that have since dramatically impacted the way we work and communicate -- and ones that I talked about in one of my 10 Tech Trends talks back in 2007. I explained what these trends were, why they mattered at that moment, and how attendees could harness them right away. My 10 Tech Trends session is featured at most journalism and communications conferences in the U.S., where as many as 1,000 people have packed standing-room-only ballrooms to hear my take on the latest innovations and why they matter. I’m also brought in to various corporations in North America and abroad -- Time Inc, Gannett, U.S. Department of State -- to give a version of my talk to staff. And while I’ve been giving my 10 Tech Trends talk for several years, I’ve never given the same presentation twice. Not even if I’ve spoken to two groups in the same week. Attendees always receive lots of takeaways, including how-to guides, betas and trial versions to use on their own.
VOTE HERE
Other sessions we like...
Mobile + Location: There's more than just Foursquare
Description: While location sharing check-ins and badges are all the rage of late, many traditional Web businesses have been utilizing location-based services to tap into the growing number of consumers carrying pocket GPSs via their mobile phones, transforming the way people connect with their brands. Hear from category leaders (like) Fandango, Zillow, and OpenTable how they are using location to create richer, more relevant interactions for millions of users of their mobile applications, as well as from VCs, that are counting on location beyond social sharing and games to deliver favorable returns in the years ahead. Want to find out how best to integrate location into your business without cannibalizing it? My users aren’t going to check-in, why should I bother? How can location help me make money on mobile? We’ll learn lessons in development and advertising from each of these companies, and discuss how other businesses can capitalize on location in their mobile efforts to enhance the customer experience and increase value for advertisers.
How Not To Be a Douchebag at SXSW
Description: Back by popular demand! Whether you're a first-time SXSW Interactive attendee or a veteran, this humorous and informative conversation will help you make the most of SXSW. You'll learn what actions and behaviors to avoid so you don't get tagged as "doing it wrong". We'll also share advice on how to meet new people, navigate the parties, and have fun without being "that guy/girl".
AugmentedRetail: Geolocation as a Tool For Retail
Description: The basic function of the mobile app allows customers to see what they're looking for as an AR point on the horizon, or be directed to the item by an AR compass. Customers simply type in what they're shopping for on their smartphone and the app shows them where the item is in relation to where they're standing and which way they're facing. The app can even plot an efficient course through the store based on a shopping list prepared ahead of time. The app can be automatically customized by keeping track of customer's purchase habits, their shopping path and their subjectivity to promotions. The app can change the way a person shops by making their experience customizable and convenient based on real-time interaction. The app is good for retailers (grocery stores, hardware stores, etc.) because it allows them to see what their customers are looking for and how they react to promotional materials and product placement. Ad space can be cultivated in the app's digital space and ads can be personally customized to each customer based on their purchasing habits. For example, if a customer buys Wheaties every week a suggestion ad can be generated to suggest similar products like Kashi. The app uses Twitter API so that customers can tweet about deals and review certain products, "These apples look delicious and they're only 5 for a $1." These tweets are viewed visually with AR markers geo-located to the exact spot the customer tweeted from.
How NPR and PBS Can Reinvent Local Journalism
Description: (This would be a joint NPR/PBS panel.) As layoffs and budget cuts decimate journalism at both the local and national levels, public media – NPR and PBS – are taking the opposite path to enhance the quality and quantity of journalism at the local level. At this session, you'll learn about how current and upcoming experiments with emerging and existing platforms, new partnerships and new models of citizen participation, combined with the strengths of locally-owned and operated pubmedia stations, are providing local journalists and journalism with significant new opportunities. If you are a journalist or an aspiring journalist, come to this session to understand how public media is expanding opportunities for media and journalism in America. Learn what's worked, what hasn't, and what's next.
"Flash Is Dead! Long Live Flash!"
Description: There has been a lot of propaganda & hype surrounding the future of Flash, HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript for interactive web content. In this session we will “clear the FUD,” and demonstrate techniques for delivering tomorrow’s interactive experiences to multiple devices, without tripling project costs/timelines. Join us as we rapidly build a small application which runs in Flash and on the iPhone, using only HTML5 and some open-source tools.
Social Media Data Visualizations: Mapping The World's Conversations
Description: As individuals and companies across the world rely more and more heavily on social media, data visualization has become sine qua non in not only displaying analytics and metrics, but also in understanding macro and micro trends by platform, network and individual. This panel will explore information design, data visualization, relationship mapping and statistics -- and how they all fit together to create compelling infographics, data visualizations and dynamic dashboards in hot pursuit of the holy grail of information design: make it more digestible and more human. Proposed by well-known data visualization firm JESS3 (see especially: The Conversation Prism and The State of the Internet), the panel will not only share insights into what makes a good infographic or social media data visualization, but also seek to explore the significance of these graphics in relation to the expanding reach and uses of social media as not just tellers of social media stories, but part of larger content-based communications strategies.
Killer iPhone Photography: Tips from the New School
Description: The best camera is really the one that you always have with you. Nowadays, with a few exceptions, everyone has a phone and on each phone there is the ability to capture images with a digital camera. This session would be focused solely around the Apple iPhone and how, with just a few tips and tricks, anyone can start taking killer photos with it. International photographer Kris Krüg is the author of the recently published book 'Killer iPhone Photography'. From traveling around the world shooting various international events to portrait sessions in his home studio of Vancouver, Canada, Kris never travels without his iPhone. Having the ability to snap photos with his phone in drastically different situations is crucial and Kris will be sharing his knowledge learned in his career. Amateur and professional photographers can benefit from various different skill sets that are necessary when taking photos with your iPhone. From the rule of thirds, to lighting, to capturing portraits and even tinkering around with the hundreds of various photo-editing applications available, the information on iPhone photography is endless. It can be overwhelming with everything out there but really it is truly about capturing the world around you. No matter what your experience level is with photography, this session will definitely provide you information that will inspire you to take more pictures with your phone and start capturing your world around, as it is happening.
