Every year, I think it’ll be my last, and every year, I keep going. Why? Because what makes SXSW Interactive special isn’t the panels, parties, BBQ, or endless free alcohol (though those all help). It’s the unique group of creative individuals that shows up in Austin every year — a wonderful mess of people, all stuck in the same city at the same time.
Those unique set of circumstances create a serendipity machine, and the people I meet each year keep me coming back, even as it busts at the seams. To that end, please track me down or say hi! That’s why I’m there. And here’s where you’ll find me:
Worst Website Ever II: Too Stupid to Fail
Monday, March 14 at 11am
Hilton, Salon D
After a three year absence, I’m bringing Worst Website Ever back to SXSW with an all-star lineup of designers, developers, and entrepreneurs. Join us as these very talented people pitch their worst website/app/startup ideas to a live audience in short, five-minute rounds.
This year, the lineup’s pretty amazing:
Gina Trapani (Lifehacker, Expert Labs)
Jeffery Bennett, (BetamaXmas, 2008’s runner-up with Image Search for the Blind)
Josh Millard, (Metafilter, viral musician)
Jonah Peretti, (Buzzfeed, Huffington Post)
Mike Lacher, (Wonder-Tonic, Wolfenstein 1-D, Geocities-izer)
And like last time, it’s judged by a real VC, Rob Hayes from First Round Capital. Winner gets funded!
ThinkUp: Austin Meetup
Saturday, March 12 at 5pm
The Ginger Man, outdoor patio
Curious about ThinkUp, or want to meet the people behind it? I’ll be joining Gina Trapani, Amy Unruh, Jed Sundwall, and other developers/users of ThinkUp at our second SXSW meetup. Come on out! We’ll be in the back patio of The Ginger Man, if weather permits.
Stalk Me
This year, I’ll be tracking interesting sessions on Lanyrd, and evening events on Plancast. And, of course, I’ll be mentioning any unusually great activity in real-time over on Twitter.
See you there!
Nice, and have fun!
Hey… this sounds really funny. Is there video available?
Two of the presentations have been posted, more soon!