Comments on: 10 Random Reflections on SXSWi 2008

By: Anne

Anne — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:01:19 +0000

It was great meeting you on the Beer Bus, Darren! I’m even more behind than you in getting caught up. I agree that a lot of the panels were beginner — I’m fortunate in that I went to a couple on subjects I knew zero about, so I had a net gain from the experience.

I’m glad I won a trip on the bus — I also won an XBox 360 and Guitar Hero at the Phizzpop party. All in all, the parties were great!

By: Kristen Meek

Kristen Meek — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:58:11 +0000

Hey Darren,

It was really great to hear you speak at SXSWi. (I was the volunteer working in your panel room.) Volunteering at the Interactive festival, I saw 4 full days of panels, and I agree completely with your point #6. Those that had fewer speakers and a good moderator were the best at staying on track and offering valuable information. Who the speakers/moderator were and the rapport they had with each other also had a huge effect on the discussion.

Hope to see you back in Austin next year!

By: Rob Cooper

Rob Cooper — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:23:29 +0000

Point #6, it’s always possible that “snobbyish” is actually fear. The A list blogger might have poor social skills when dealing with people one on one.

I know quite a few people who are brilliant when they write, or speak to large numbers of people, but have difficulty with one-on-one situations.

(not me of course)

By: Karla Escolas

Karla Escolas — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:07:20 +0000

Hey Darren,

Ryan is still shaking his head about some of the video and photos you and others are now holding hostage :)

Oh and welcome to the wonderful over-sized portions of the US- its terribly great.

-Karla, Chitika Inc.

By: Ryan Travis

Ryan Travis — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:15:44 +0000

@Darren and Chrispian –

Hey – What happens in Austin, stays in Austin! ;)

Unfortunately for me though, it appears that “What happens in Austin goes on Flickr/Youtube”

By: Peg Thompson

Peg Thompson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:57:48 +0000

Hi. Sounds like a wonderful conference. I have a hard time visualizing you as a beginning blogger, but I am one. I feel constantly over my head and can’t figure out how to get help with something. For example, I wanted to install an SEO program to my Wordpress site. It had several instructions, none of which I could begin to understand. Can you suggest a source or book where such things are explained? I am experiencing a high degree of frustration. Thanks for your blog. I keep getting new ideas and inspiration from it. Peg

By: Shama Hyder

Shama Hyder — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:16:42 +0000

Hi Darren,

I had a great time on the party bus. Thank you so much for doing that.

I hope to see you at SXSW next year. = )

By: Rhea

Rhea — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:45:33 +0000

Darren, your party bus was one of the highlights of my trip to SXSW, even if I was probably the oldest one! Your B5 group is kooky, but entertaining. Thanks so much to you and Ryan for the fun! Well, guess I’ll just get back to my lonely, misunderstood experience of being a blogger. Ha!

By: Bisco

Bisco — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:56:46 +0000

pretty disappointed that Scoble didn’t show up to either of the stops on the bus trip but I guess that’s life. Getting to meet Muhammed Saleem on the bus was my highlight though.

By: Paolo Amoroso

Paolo Amoroso — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:24:35 +0000

Darren, about twitting only from your laptop: twitting from a cell phone with text messages is easy and convenient, but it may not be cheap. You can do it on the field with no room for a computer and no Internet connection. For example, I twitted live reports with my cell phone from Cape Canaveral for a Space Shutlle launch.

By: Robert Scoble

Robert Scoble — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:17:23 +0000

I’m sorry for missing the bus trip, I kept getting stopped in the hallway and didn’t want to turn anyone away.

By: Nicole Simon

Nicole Simon — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:52:23 +0000

I was extra happy that you could made it to Austin, because my chances getting to Australia are slim. A suggestion to your next years party: pretty please nothing moving.

As much fun as it sounds, just a place somewhere is great and can be restricted easily and allows people to enjoy it way more. I would have loved to go on the bus but even some others coming back (like the normal non motion sickness ones) said that they where a bit sick. :))

Regarding the snobbines – it is hard to pay attention to everyone and I found that part of the snobby is that they are usually not as excited as the other part, but are more enthusiastic with people they already know and like.

I have seen more than one ‘celeb’ to do the rounds and then just flee to an area where they will not be bugged all the time.

Panels – a lot of people agreed that it was beginner level which is one the one side good but on the other side very bad: if sxsw is supposed to be geek haven, it cannot be basic beyond a certain point. It has to be more challenging than that.

Looking forward meeting you next year. ;)

By: Shawn Farner

Shawn Farner — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:42:44 +0000

Hoping to hit this next year once I graduate! =)

By: Darren Rowse

Darren Rowse — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:31:42 +0000

@ericabiz – likewise, it was cool to meet you too.

@karen – yes I attended vicariously last year – looking forward to seeing you next year.

Deb – no worries about the email, a pleasure. Your sis really is ‘peaches’ as you say :-) Get well!

Mike – twas great to meet you too, really enjoyed meeting the designer of my logo at long last! thanks for coming on the bus!. Love your Moleskine sketchbook of SXSW too – really great record of a top week.

Matt Propst – looking forward to our next meeting and having the chance to share another pizza with you!

Chrispian – it was great to catch up with you! LOL on the video of Ryan – that could be very useful one day!

By: ericabiz

ericabiz — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:11:16 +0000

Hey Darren,

It was great to meet you at SXSW and on the ProBlogger/Chitika bus! I had a blast there. Next year I think my goal will be to do more movie premieres and fewer parties. I was really “partied out” by my last day there.

If you’re ever in the SF Bay Area, drop me a line and I’ll get you info on where to stay, what to do, and what to eat. Perhaps before or after SXSW next year! :)

-Erica

By: chrispian

chrispian — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:04:33 +0000

Darren, thanks again for the invite to the bus! It was very cool to finally meet you and hang out! I won’t tell people what you were watching on the plane ride ;)

As for Ryan, if the pictures aren’t enough, I’ve got some video that might help you persuade him. Just make sure I get an invite!

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:03:49 +0000

Sounds like it really was awesome!
I’ve sort of been “attending” SXSW vicariously through all the big-time bloggers like you who went… With any luck, next time it rolls around I’ll be there. :)

By: Matt Propst

Matt Propst — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:56:58 +0000

Darren, This comment is coming from the fact that it was about a year about I met you at FOOA, and maybe from the aspect of being a fellow blogger, but maybe as a whole, by making yourself more accessible to the conference attendees like myself, you help to make the experience of attending the conference more down to earth. I missed out on SXSW, but I’m looking at the next Carsonified event, hopefully I’ll be in attendance.

By: Mike Rohde

Mike Rohde — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:28:18 +0000

Darren, it was great meeting you at SXSWi this year, you’re just as friendly in person as you are on the blog and video posts. With so many people at the event it was nice to have you recognize me as I came to the Chitika bus pickup area. :-)

Your thoughts on the conference are right on, and as to panels, it seemed that sessions with fewer people in front (2 or fewer) seemed to have more focus than the larger panels did. I felt that Frank Warren’s Post Secret was a wonderful keynote and a highlight of the event for me.

For those who attended SXSWi or are curious about what the panels were like, I was able to capture a bunch of notes on the sessions I attended in a Moleskine sketchbook:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohdesign/sets/72157604109069527/

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Darren, I look forward to meeting and maybe lunching with you at SXSWi in 2009! :-)

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:24:18 +0000

Re: portion sizes – Welcome to Texass. I am in SA – home of the Alamo, puffy tacos and the wonkiest drivers in America.

Thanks so much for the email. The blove (aka blogger love) is always so uplifting and never fails to cheer me up when I’m blue. I am really so bummed that I wasn’t able to attend this year. My sis Chelle really is peaches. She took a few weeks off from work to come and take care of me when I first got diagnosed. She’s truly adorable.

Hope this day finds you well!

Cheers,
Debs