SxSW Interactive

This year was my third South by Southwest Interactive (SxSWi). Generally speaking, I recommend the conference to people wanting to sync up with others in the technology space. SxSWi is a great way to learn about trends relating to the Web, whether you are into blogging, video, design, software development, user generated content, Web 2.0, social networking, mash-ups, community organizing, and so on.

This year, SxSW suffered from growing pains. I feel like this year’s conference lacked some of its former self, particularly regarding the community ethos. In the past, attendees bumped into each more frequently. Random conversations spilled over into lunch. Startups were launched. Burritos were eaten. You get what I mean.

This year, there was less attendee-bumping, startup-starting, and burrito-belching. A shame!

But I know why (you don’t really believe me, do you?) and maybe we can fix it for next year! One problem was the layout of the conference; we were scattered across floors of the convention center. I have mixed feelings about the numerous parallel tracks (as many as eight!). The diversity of panels is certainly good, and the panels were well-attended, but as a result of eight(ish) simultaneous tracks, I think the conference as a whole lacked a coherent theme or vision. Perhaps SxSWi is trying to be too much for too many people?

Many of the panels were great. I particularly enjoyed the “Widgets for Good” panel. I also learned from panels that talked about building online communities. As an entrepreneur myself, I found the sessions about real-world experiences and statistics from launching Web sites to be very elpful. Alex Steffen gave an inspiring talk about WorldChanging. Bruce Sterling did not disappoint with his insights into what the technology world will bring. (One of his more memorable quotes was something like this: subscribing to Twitter was like being pelted to death with croutons.)

My take-away from SxSWi? The Web is a big place; people are using it for all sorts of purposes: commercial, philanthropic, social, fun, and so on. There is room for everybody and you can learn the greatest things from the strangest places. The Web is a dynamic place, a place for innovation and creativity. I’m looking forward to what people are going to cook up next!