30+ Handy Resources for SXSW interactive
The first time I went to South by South West interactive, the sheer volume of events was over-whelming. A predictably hurried decision to go left little time for any proper planning and the show whizzed by.
According to Aaron Brazell, second time out, the event should be an endless round of conference sessions, meetings and partying networking. As part of the Digital Mission, featuring 35 of the UK's hottest digital companies, our group will number nearly 100. For more Brit-related shenanigans, keep an eye out for Rebecca Caroe's cunning plan.
With that in mind, a little preparation may go a long way. I've been collecting handy links for the last couple of weeks, and here's a compendium of over 30 resources that'll help make the SXSW experience tip-top. If you've got others to add, drop me a line or leave a comment below...
Official
- South by South West interactive (SXSW) - main website for interactive trade show, panels, parties, etc.
- SXSW Tools - official tools, in particular sign-up for SMS alerts from SXSW (also available from My SXSW see below)
- my.SXSW - Social tool for attendees to build profiles, connect with friends (automatic imports with Facebook Connect and Twitter integration), Twitter-like service for contacting other SXSWers
It's worth spending a little time on my.SXSW. I found the navigation a little tricky, but there's some very handy features in there. I'm not quite sure how well the SXSW-only Twitter-like functionality will work, but the advanced user search is really useful for finding contacts by name, industry, company, etc across all the SXSW festivals.
Note that advanced search is only available on the homepage of my.SXSW. The site also features a full list of panels, as you'd expect, select a few you fancy popping along to, and they'll show up in your public profile (here's mine).
Who's Going?
- my.SXSW - basic and advanced search of SXSWers user profiles including by city, industry, state plus import contacts from Facebook and Twitter
- SXSW 2009 Wiki - a Wikified list of attendees and other useful SXSW info, add more info about yourself on this site
Panel Planning & Scheduling
- SXSW Full Schedule - official list of the full SXSW interactive schedule (don't forget the interactive version for attendees on my.SXSW)
- Gary's Guide to SXSW - comprehensive list of SXSW interactive parties and happenings from Gary, the guy in the red tie, great resource
- Sched*SXSW - an all-inclusive SXSW schedule featuring all the official and unofficial events with a simple, easy interface that comes in iPhone-friendly flavour, too
- SXSW in Excel - All the panels for SXSWi in easy-to-filter and carry Excel format from Ann Hudspeth
- Adactio Austin - Simple, useful list of parties and networking events from Jeremy Keith
Maps
- Peter Kim's Map of Austin, TX - Google Map with loads of bars, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops around the Convention Centre (home of SXSW conference)
- Digital Mission map - Google Map for companies and friends of the Digital Mission companies
Party Info
or..."Yes, that's right the Iron Cactus is an unusual name for a business centre. I was, <cough>, networking". Don't forget to check out Gary's Guide to SXSW and Sched*SXSW for listings info.
- Official SXSW Parties & Lounge info - *the* official run-down of lounges and post-conference action
- Friendfeed Party room - hints and tips on parties from those in the know
- Finding really good parties - planning tips on party-hunting at SXSWi from Ewan Spence
A couple of unofficial parties that are worth watching out for:
- 32bit - Next in the series (8bit, 16bit) of Scott Beale from Laughing Squid's historic parties, follow @32bit to get info on time/venue
- Unlisted - unofficial SXSWi After-party hosted by Austin Ventures and Dachis Corporation
Where would we be without the little blue birdy...there's probably heaps of people to add here, so do let me know.
- @digitalmission - follow the Brits on the Digital Mission as they visit SXSWi
- @sxsw - official Tweetage for SXSW
- @sxswi - Unofficial tweets about SXSW interactive
- @sxswparty - Not sure about this one, but hopefully the clue is in the name
- @sxswguide - Tweets from the ever-so useful SXSW Insider's Guide (see How To section)
How-To's
- SXSW Insider - heaps of info from this excellent unofficial group (see also @sxswguide on Twitter)
- A guide to networking at SXSW interactive by statesman.com - wise words on 'working the room'
- Laughing Squid's SXSW Interactive 2009 Resources & Information by Scott Beale - one of the best lists of SXSWi resources
- Guide to SXSW Interactive from ZDNet's The Web Life
- 17 Travel Tips to Make Your Trip More Enjoyable by Vero Pepperell
- Crash Course on SXSW by Aaron Brazell - a three-year guide on tackling SXSWi
- A Geek's Guide to SXSW Film by Agnes Varnum - venture from interactive into the world of SXSW film
- Tips on rawking SXSW from sxswbaby.com forums - unofficial weblog of SXSW
- Top Tips To Survive During The Day At SXSW by Ewan Spence
Social
- Flickr - SXSWi group on Flickr
- Youtube - SXSW Youtube channel
- Facebook - SXSW Facebook page
- LinkedIn - SXSW interactive LinkedIn group
- Delicious - sxsw, sxswi, sxsw09
- Hashtag - Follow the #SXSW hashtag
- Hashtag - Follow the #digitalmission hashtag
Austin, TX
You've come all this was for SXSW, but there's a whole city out there. And bats (I kid you not).- Stuff to do in Austin while at SXSW by Len Kendall
- 100 coffee shops, 83% independent from Austin 360
- General Austin sites:
So, that's plenty to get stuck into. If you're not part of the Digital Mission, don't forget to check out our Expo stand (look for the mahoosive British flag). We'll be dishing out drinks and snacks as part of the SXSW Block Party on Sunday, 15th March between 4-6pm.
Plus, we're bringing the authentic British breakfast to Austin, with our networking event, the Great British Breakfast on Tue 17th March, between 10am and midday at Old Pecan Street Café. RSVP now and meet the cream of the UK's digital scene. See you there!
In the likely event I've missed off people, links, guides, etc - sam
chinwag [dot] com (subject: Info%20for%20SXSWi%20blog) (drop me an email), Tweet or add a comment below, thanks.
[Pic courtesy of Liz Henry]
9 March 2009 by Sam Michel
Sam Michel is the founder of Chinwag and blogs here for work, and more randomly at Toodlepip. He runs Chinwag Jobs, Digital Mission and tends to focus on murky place where technology, community and marketing collide. You'll find him on twitter @toodlepip.
Sam Michel is the founder of Chinwag and blogs here for work, and more randomly at Toodlepip. He runs Chinwag Jobs, Digital Mission and tends to focus on murky place where technology, community and marketing collide. You'll find him on twitter @toodlepip.
Comments
About my.SXSW
In order for people to see your schedule you need to be following them and they need to follow you back (mutually following). Same goes for seeing a persons email, phone number, etc.
This is conceptually similar to how with Twitter you need to be mutually following each other in order to send direct messages.
Speaking of Twitter, the my.SXSW is a Twitter client! You can link your accounts so that messages posted on the my.SXSW are also posted to Twitter.
Great article, hope to see you in Austin.
Mike Buckbee Lead Developer The Social Collective
Thanks Michael. Swing by
Thanks Michael.
Swing by the Digital Mission stand in the Expo Hall and say 'hi', be good to meet you.