SXSW 2008

Fawning over Facebook and an Off-Year for Substance

Well, here I sit: back from this year's SXSWi and certainly none the worse for wear. It was, of course, a great opportunity to see a gathering of interactives like no other and maybe even learn a little something special. Despite the brew-ha-ha over a mediocre Mark Zuckerberg interview that left more than a few of the adoring public at a loss (youtube: Zuckerberg SXSW. Oh Sarah Lacy...not one of Women in Journalism's finest hours), I can't actually say I came across that many mindblowing panels.

At first I thought that perhaps I just managed to wander into all of the newbie discussions, but it kept happening again and again: there I sat, waiting for deep insight and watching the panelist blithely skim the surface. Now, I'm no newbie myself, but neither am I an expert. Yet, I felt like I could have easily led a lot of the panels I saw.

My suspicion is that 2007 was a year of impressive development, leaving 2008's SXSW without much time to analyze. At least, that's my hope. To be fair, I'll reserve final commentary until all of the panels have been podcasted. I'm hoping for a diamond in the rough.

That said, though, Austin is a lovely little city! I partook in Brazilian barbecue, caught a band call The Lemurs, dined at Starlight in the Warehouse district and out-and-out enjoyed myself. Yay!