On Monday, Sept. 7, the panel picker closed for the 2010 SXSW interactive conference.
I participated in the daunting task of reviewing each category and topic and ultimately 'thumbs up'ed
5 advanced panels
63 Intermediate
52 beginner sessions
This adds up to more panels than one could possibly see in a week (120!) so it got pointless to continue voting after going through that many.
In no order of preference, from the beginner category my top 11 panels are:
1. How to Get your Song in a Movie Douglas Stewart
Getting a record deal is something that pretty much belongs to another era. But, the chance to get your song in an indie film is a more palpable reality. It serves as a good launching pad for a band's assault on all media.
2. Your content is You, Your Website is Dead Kris Krug
The stories you comment on, favorite, tag, and share say more about you that your .com. Join photographer and internet future thinker Kris Krüg as he discusses how the destination is becoming less important than the artifacts you leave along the way.
3. Fresh Ideas for Blogging: It's Not All Been Done Linsey Knerl
What do you do when you've said all there is to say on your blogging topic? This panel looks at ways to refresh evergreen blog topics, bring on new talent, and exhange content in a SEO and community-friendly manner to keep your blog fresh!
4. Beyond Tokenism: How Social Media Can Fix Stuff Deanna Zandt
It's clear that even in 2009, we don't live in a post-racial, post-sexist, post-homophobic, post-anything-like-that society. But the potential for social media to cross-pollinate across cultures and start dissolving barriers is undeniable and huge. We'll present strategies and projects for systemic social change.
5. How to Get FREE Everything from Social Media Ryan Bauer
There are free cars (www.fiestamovement.com) free food (www.tastecasting.com) free apartments, free travel, free event tickets and so much more available through using social media (including http://www.bzzagent.com). Discussion will focus on specific items panelists have procured and a step by step guide with examples. A web copy will be available for review.
6. Becoming a Business Ninja: Mastering What Actually Matters Josh Kaufman
Discover the 10% of business concepts that create over 90% of the real-world value. Train your brain and build your business with Josh Kaufman, creator and editor of the Personal MBA.
7. Color Trends- Palettes to Pick for 2010 Paige Dzenis
Is there really ‘a new black’? It’s easy to follow fashion and design trends—but what do we know about how colours come into trend and influence us? From polish to Pantone, this panel discusses how and why companies and cool hunters pick the next big colours of the season.
8. Black Blogging Rockstars Maurice Cherry
Past SXSW panels have shown that Black bloggers and bloggers of color are becoming more prominent and well-known as the years progress. From "Blogging While Black" to being "Digital Urbanites", being a Black blogger is definitely not limited to any monolithic stereotype. Learn from some of the pioneers and thought-leaders in the Black blogosphere on our past, present, and future.
9. Results Only work Environment (ROWE): Why It Works Nikki Haffey
Imagine a work environment where people do whatever they want whenever they want as long as the work gets done. At midnight or 3am or on Sunday. Whenever and wherever. It's called a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), and companies around the world are starting to adopt the ROWE philosophy.
10. Casting Crib Cutesploitation – using Your Kids as Content John Styn
What every parent should consider before uploading their offspring. They are adorable little miracles that should be shared with the world. And who isn’t delighted by the youtube’d laughter of a child? (Or a drugged up kid after dentist.) But when does a bathtime video cross the line into “need for future therapy?” Or worse yet, a felony sex offense? Parents will address the costs/benefits of their decision process and the personal/public lines they’ve drawn in the sandbox.
11. Social Security: Protecting Your Privacy in Social Media Damien Basile
With a generation getting used to sharing every single detail of their life in social media, where do you draw the line? What is appropriate or can put you in danger? How do you decide what to limit?
In no order of preference, from the intermediate category my top 11 panels are:
12. Not Just the Host: Web Video Divas Dish! Amanda Congdon
So you've got a pretty face… now what? A panel of four well-established female videobloggers talk shop. What does it take to survive in the blogosphere when most of the other content creators around you are men? Network horror stories, new media triumphs and everything in-between will be discussed.
13. Make $100,000 in One Day with New Media Lan Bui
Find out exactly how our team brought in $147,000 using new media. From conception through execution, we want to share it all with you.
14. Universities in the "Free" Era Glenn Platt
MIT, Yale, Stanford, and others put lectures online. Chris Anderson argues all university lectures should be free. From Academic Earth to TED, it's free. So what is the value-add of a university education? What models of higher education will survive? How will universities leverage the social web to reinvent themselves?
15. We All Know Karate: Asian Identity in the Online Age Lia Bulaong
Asians are well-represented in technology and media, but mostly only behind the scenes. Panelists will discuss the pluses and minuses of life as a very public Asian face online, and how the internet at large deals with Asian identity.
16. Writing Web Content For A Living Tiffani Jones
By now we all know that "content is king," yet there's still a dearth of knowledge about the mechanics and business of web writing. We'll talk about how to write great copy, why web content is special, and how to make money doing it–whether you're an independent, agency, or in-house type.
17. Future Pioneers: Innovators in Digital Lara Lebeiko
We'd call it career pathing, but Malcolm Gladwell would call them Outliers. Why are these folks conveniently right around 30, and what did they do to get there as a leader in the field of digital and social media? Join in as upcoming leaders in the digital world converse about their careers, their ideas, and what the web holds as generation 2.0 takes over.
18. How To Give Good Blog Crissy Herron
Are you giving good blog? If you are promoting your product or service online, your blog can be a deciding factor in your success or failure. Learn how to make the most of your blog, attract readers, give your readers what they want, and keep them coming back for more.
19. Social Media Women of Color Shireen Mitchell
The social media space has been bursting at the seems with women bloggers, twitters, vloggers, and podcasters. However, until recently the question about where are the women of color social media experts went unnoticed until recent online polls sparked a few social media debates. The audience will explore if social networks/social media are really extensions of existing real world networks or does it break the diversity barriers.
20. Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&! Twanna Hines
Too often, individuals and businesses take advantage of someone else's turf and excuse it as "shameless self promotion." It's not acceptable and it can lead to you being labeled a spammer or worse. In this panel, we'll tell you how to promote yourself without turning others off.
21. Why Community Blogging Is Better Than Going Solo Lynn Truong
Take the next step in your problogging career by transforming your fairly successful solo blog into a niche dominating multi-author blog. Learn about hiring and managing bloggers, compensation, legal, marketing and other issues from experienced multi-author blog editors and managers.
22. Beyond Posters: Social Media & The Arts Leah Jones
A marketer and a writer collaborated for two years to keep her novel selling. Now the marketer owns her own company, Natiiv Arts & Media, and the writer is a sought after online content creator. Learn from Leah Jones and Amy Guth's unique collaborative relationship about Arts Marketing and New Media.
The advanced topics were a bit NGI (Not of General Interest) so I spared you. If you're really interested to know which 5 advanced panels I picked just leave a comment and I'll list them.
Are you planning to attend SxSW 2010 and if so, for which track(s) (music, film, and/or interactive)?
A Mad Notepad 
September 12th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Oh cool! Thanks for the links. 🙂 I'm taking an online class that has to do with writing for the web. Here's the book we're using: Letting Go of the Words. Good stuff!
September 12th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
You're welcome. There are lots more topics on the actual site for browsing. These are just ones that caught my eye best. That looks like a great book (based on the TOC). I might have to check that one out too!