It might be Austin, but I almost had to swim to the "Doing Business in the US" Master class yesterday. It is cold and wet over here, no sign of any Texan sun.

This series of posts about Ecommerce is brought to you in conjunction with Vodafone, who are currently recruiting a Head of Ecommerce, see Chinwag Jobs for more information. 

It's an interesting time for e-commerce, certainly challenging, but there are potentially even bigger things afoot. Away from the on-line world, the last few months have seen numerous collapses in the high street.

Pick-n-mix legend Woolworths closed its doors. Music and games retailer Zavvi pulled down their shutters, and the fashion retailer Principles closed its doors too. That isn't the end of the tale though.

Six months of planning, 100+ applications, 35 companies and heaps of logistics. The merry band of Brits that make up the Digital Mission is heading SXSWard. For live info, follow @digitalmission on Twitter.

So, if you're lucky enough to be in Austin, what's happening? Funny you should ask, here's a quick run-down. Swing by, we'd love to say 'hello' and there's a bunch of interesting people to meet and some ground-breaking products launched...

Debate on the “content-for-free” model continues to dominate various forums and industry blogs.  Commentators argue that it’s crippling online publishers and driving some out of business.

From the never-ending financial problems of the New York Times to the demise of small digital media companies, the issue is occupying the minds of analysts, commentators and media owners across the industry.

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.

The momentum is building as the final preparations are made by the 35 companies travelling to South by South West interactive as part of the first Digital Mission of 2009. We're excited to announce that Techfluff.tv have joined the Digital Mission as our video partners and will be joining the Digital Mission gang on the journey to Texas.