TechMeme Beats South By

Image via CrunchBaseSocial Media Week was a fulfilling experience for me. I did the LiveStream plus Twitter thing. I ended up going to only two events overall, I think. But I was otherwise immersed.

I had no desire to become the top global influencer of SXSW, but I did want the LiveStream experience. And I was going to tweet sum, populate the SXSW hashtag.

The first day was disappointing. SXSW does not seem to allow LiveStream. That is so short sighted. The thinking obviously is you pay close to a thousand bucks to show up for the panels and events and parties. You can't watch for free online. That is cable TV thinking, and we all know where cable TVs are headed.

I already knew from before the Kumbha Mela of tech started that hyperlocal connecting was going to be the winning theme. And as for celebrities, Robert Scoble goes everywhere, why only SXSW?

SXSW has not hit me so far. Granted I am holed up in NYC. But something tells me I am going to be in Austin for the first time next year, and, well, we will see.

If the idea is to get the pulse of the tech industry, TechMeme does a better job on a daily basis.

SXSW Live
GroupOn Did Not Launch At South By South West
South By South West
This South By South West Thing
SXSW: Not Going

TechMeme

SXSW Live

I am not "going." Just like I did not "go" to Social Media Week. But I'd like to see some streaming on the web. And I might even tweet.

GigaOm: March 2011: Where to Watch SXSW Live Online
SXSW: SXSW Announces Live Streaming of Interactive Keynote Presentations
SXSW Interactive Live Streaming Sessions Presented by PepsiCo
IFC: SXSW

Top 10 Social Media Week Global Influencer
Social Media Week Day 3 Tweets
Social Media Week Top Outreacher
Body Doubles
Social Media Week: Day 2: 120 Tweets
Social Media Week: 100 Tweets Later
Social Media Week: The Social Media Way

This South By South West Thing

Image by David Berkowitz via FlickrI have to admit, it has started to tug at me a little. I just looked up and found out it starts on March 11. That's Friday.

Okay, Ron Rofe, put in the first 10K. Send me to South By South West. All I would need is a two way plane ticket. How would I do that? I have never bought a plane ticket in America. How would I go from the airport to downtown? I don't think the A train works there. Where would I stay? I guess by now it's too late to be making hotel reservations. If it is warm enough, I could sleep anywhere. I could sleep by the roadside.

I actually sent emails to three people I know. One bounced back. Another did not respond. The third said he was in San Antonio. Maybe somebody who already has hotel reservations will let me squeeze in. I don't need a mattress, no blanket. But I do sleep. I am one of those seven, eight hours kind.

SXSW: Not Going

Image via WikipediaI was on the phone with a friend earlier in the day. She is going to South By South West for the first time and she is excited. SXSW is in the air.

I have never bought a plane ticket in America. I guess she was trying to convince me to come along. I guess it is too late to sign up for panels and things. But you can go to the parties in the evenings, she said. They are free.

I get the impression South By South West is the Kumbh Mela of tech. More than 10,000 people show up. From all over the country.

Maybe next year. This year it's a pass.

GroupOn Did Not Launch At South By South West

Image via WikipediaGroupOn has grown like crazy. But it was not launched at South By South West. And I have an observation to make.

GroupOn has this very clear offline component to it. It has hired thousands of sales people. And its customer base is your very average person, the Walmart types. They want to save money. They want to save money on haircuts.

That is why you do not hear GroupOn and South By South West in one sentence. I never have. Because GroupOn's early adopters were not the kind of people who end up at South By South West.

Overall I feel good about South By South West. But I also have a word of caution for the crowd. You don't want to end up in some kind of an echo chamber where you are only hearing each other. It is possible to collect too many business cards. What are you going to do with them? Networking is a good thing overall, but too many business cards can also mean a lack of focus.

Like the Kayak.com CEO likes to say, I don't go to events.