As South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) nears the home stretch, the overwhelming consensus from attendees I have met is that although the panels haven't offered a lot of new stuff, there has been a lot to learn from each other. Sure, there has been some great content here, but the true takeaway has been the relationships you walk away with.
The interactive world is in a bit of a hover pattern when it comes to breakthroughs in technology. Facebook and Twitter seem almost tired by now. Since those platforms took off, there have been significant changes in the way we access the online world but no singular moment that has helped define this generation. Smart phones have made it easier to interact online but they haven’t been as significant at building online communities as the social media tools.
The aura of Web 2.0 and Social Media has cooled in these parts. What I have noticed more than anything this weekend is that everyone is returning to old fashioned conversations and networking. There hasn’t been much discussion of the panels from the people that I’ve met. Instead they are cutting loose and enjoying themselves.
In years past there has been a collective interest in new discovery. This year the focus seems to be to have fun while getting whatever you can out of it.
As the conference grows, with panels spilling out into nearby hotels, the selection of parties has grown as well. There are so many to choose from that I’ve spent every night hopping from one to the next. A couple of bashes stand out.
On Saturday night, Stubb’s was host to Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht of Diggnation. They delivered for their rabid fans with a live taping of their popular online show before The Walkmen took the stage. Although the show and party lasted about five hours, there was much to do and talk about.
Southby.tv set up an audition booth at the back of Stubb’s in hopes of finding a new online personality. Partygoers waited in line to tape their own 15 seconds of fame in hopes that Rose and Albrecht would tap them as the next big online thing.
I’ll admit that I was one of them although I had two partners in crime, Citizen Cohen and Brock Landers. When asked by Southby.tv what our show would be like, I stated that it would be as amazing as a fat unicorn eating a rainbow that farted glitter. I feel pretty safe that this won’t be my big break.
Sunday evening brought the first of two CultureMap co-sponsored events, the Kirtsy/Alltop party. Held at Allen’s Boots, it was a mix of good food, great music and fantastic people. Houston’s SXSWi contingent was out in full force soaking up the Shiner beer and Rudy’s BBQ. I’m pretty damn proud of what the Kirtsy team have done over the past few years and how it has impacted the Houston community.
They took a simple concept — a voting news site — and built it into a reliable source for new and relevant information. Laura Mayes, one of Kirtsy’s founders, has been a big influence in the lives of many Houston women over the last few years. Her passion, determination and genuine love for her community has helped give other people around her the confidence to push forward.
This seems to be the overall theme at this years SXSWi: How can I make a change in myself and my community to help us all get to the next level?
Yes, there haven't been too many breakthroughs in technology but finally the dust has settled. The social media vultures that were once so visible in recent years have been pushed so far out of the circle that people are free to move forward with the tools that we have instead of waiting until the next big thing happens.
We haven’t found it yet ,but we aren’t resting on our laurels until we do. If there is one thing we geeks have learned over the past few years is that when the next big thing does happen we will be more wise in how we harness it. Until then, we are going to enjoy ourselves
Follow Jason McElweenie on Twitter @deneyterrio
Laurie Smithwick, left, Guy Kawasaki and Laura Mayes
