Internet Geek Girl

Tara Hunt has so much whuffie, it exudes from her online and off. And that’s why she is one of my favorite people.  She brings her generosity and creativity to all that she does.  Tara and I have been working together in this industry for awhile now. I’ve gotten to know her as a friend and colleague. A true geek girl, with a girly girl spirit and an intellect that let’s her navigate diverse topics with easy. From co-working to developer platforms and APIs, to identity politics – Tara always adds value and ideas that shine.  Check out her vision for a fantasy application that frees you from “house arrest” and let us know what you think!

It’s FollowFriday. And if you are not following @gapingvoid by now, you should be. Hugh Macleod is one of my favorite people in the whole world. He’s brilliant, kind and genuinely in love with Texas. I proudly carry my “Jersey girl” hugh card with me wherever I go. You can read lots about Hugh online and view all his great work for Microsoft, Stormhoek, his lithographs and 4×8 foot paintings (he just finished Desert Manhattan).  His newsletter, Crazy Deranged Fool is probably the best way to keep up with this prolific artist-cum-marketer.

When I met Hugh he had just landed in Silicon Valley from Scotland and was beginning the journey that would lead him to Alpine, Texas. I haven’t been there, but when I do go, the first place I will stop is Harry’s (seriously – check out Harry’s webpage, you will crack up).

Hugh’s fantasy application is representative of his passion and empathy – an app focused on enhancing his experience as an artist that can be used by artists everywhere to help them achieve their dreams.  Like the title of his new book implies, “Ignore Everybody, and 39 other keys to Creativity,” Hugh’s message helps others tap into their own brilliance and unleash it on the world. I know it’s true, because, he did that for me!

Here’s to Hugh.  Now go rank and comment on his fantasy app (especially if you are an artist).

By now, most of my fellow SXSW Interactive attendees have made it home and unpacked. Hopefully you have caught up on your lack of sleep and have warded off the SXSWsars (unfortunately I didn’t – can you hear my sniffles and scratchy voice?). If you’re like me, you’ve been digging through your email and reviewing the huge stack of business cards you collected in Austin. Processing all the information and inspiration takes time, especially for a show which overflows with both.

Unquestionably, SXSWi was a qualitative and quantitative success. There was a reported 25% increase in attendance year over year and the blog posts, tweets, and Facebook updates show nothing but love for this ritual “geek spring break.”

For me, the highlight of the trip was obviously the honor of co-hosting the TechSet Blogger Lounge with my co-founder @BrianSolis (and our event partners at Tokita Bethune, Inc.) The lounge and party were sponsored by Windows Mobile. The Windows Mobile team provided a great service to the community of bloggers, developers, marketers and influencers that set up shop in The Austin Suite. With great bandwidth and great company, the Windows Mobile lounge was THE PLACE to be every day (especially during our tweet ups from 4 – 6 pm – thank you AMD and Zappos). Plus, check out the videos that a bunch of well known geeks made in the lounge – Can you say Fantasy App? We were even lucky enough to have live entertainment one day from Paula Nelson (Austin native and Willie’s daughter). Big thanks to 1938media and John Rosenfelder (@earbender) for putting that together.

On the social front – I enjoyed going to Stubbs for the Diggnation event, The Salt Lick, Gueros, and of course, attending the many parties. “Best in show” include, Alltop, Facebook, Mashable and of course, The TechSet. The best pictures from the entire week come from Laughing Squid, Brian Solis and Wm. Marc Salsberry. Huge shout out to Joie de Vie salon and all the ladies from there that helped make me pretty every day (thanks Amanda, thanks Erin and the other Jerseygirl Steph).

For the last few years the Geeks have taken over the town before the music festival swings into full force. If you stay for part of the transition time, it’s funny to see the difference. My cab driver summed it up best – “the geeks are way more quiet and they are always playing on their phones.” He just doesn’t realize we’re making a ton of noise online and talking to our friends (who are sitting next to us in RL) on Twitter!

If you missed the show or like me, were too busy to attend most of the panels, here’s a short list of some recommended recaps:

• BlogWorld Expo Radio Podcast with yours truly and Jim Turner!
• The very awesome Nicole Jordan on her blog, Kicking Sand. She captures the style and substance.
• Nothin’ but SocNet’s Zena Weist has a great list of other recaps in addition to her insightful musings. She doesn’t just chat about social media – she lives it.
• Omar Gallaga from the Austin Statesman has a bunch of good stuff (with a local spin) on Austin360, with individual panel/party/videos here. Omar also did an NPR segment last Monday which was very cool.
• Pamela Lund on Massively Networked reviewed some very cool panels, which included tidbits of advice from: Thor Muller (Get Satisfaction, Inc.), Patrick Moorhead (Razorfish), and Ben Rigby (Mobile Voter), Barrett Fox (COCO Studios) and Jeroen Lapre (distant-galaxy.com).
• Jeff Beckham’s SXSW Scorecard looks back at the 19 panels/talks he attended, and he ranked them.  Very good stuff.
• RJ Owen of O’Reilly’s InsideRIA had at a great take on parties and panels!
• The ever-good-spirited @technosailor shares his journey and musings. Love the shout out to the Blogger Lounge!

BTW – David Carr wrote a nice piece in the NYT today that tells the story of the founding of the entire festival and it’s impact on the town. Plus his insights about the THRIVING Austin Chronicle, which has fueled this multimedia event since its inception, are especially intriguing given a market where many newspapers are failing.

All I can say is….keep Austin Weird and Geeky!

I’ll leave you with a video from my friend Guy Kawasaki that he did from his Kirsty-Alltop Party. Ya gotta love Texas (especially once / year in Austin)!

The TechSet Blogger Lounge & Party

Well, it goes without saying that I’m going to start with the events we are planning. We cordially welcome you to join in on the TechSet Blogger Lounge and Party (sponsored by Windows Mobile).

Date: Starting on Friday, March 13th at 1 pm, the Blogger Lounge is located on the 3rd floor in the Austin Suite and the hours are as follows:
Friday, March 13
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday March 14 – Tuesday, March 17
9:30 am – 6:00 pm

There are going to be amazing things going on here, including daily tweet ups from 4 – 6 pm! Tweetup sponsors include: LiveSearch, AMD and Zappos!

The party at the Belmont Lounge is Friday, March 14th from 8 – 10 pm. What can I say – it will be the party of the week. Be there or be square! And don’t forget to check out the ever so wonderful Gapingvoid, as he cartoons his way through one of the most sophisticated locales in Austin!

*********************************************************************************************************

Of course you should check out the SXSW website for all details on everything, and make sure you are using the My SXSW.com site too! The list of parties on their site is a must read. Plus, see below for a summary of “reminders” that will make your trip much easier.

Date: Saturday, March 14th

Can you Digg It? – 6.30 pm – 2 am

Revision3 & Digg present  the return of the biggest party at SXSWi – the second annual Bigg Digg Shindigg, Now with 100% More Diggnation! Come for an evening of revelry, music & mayhem at world famous Stubbs BBQ. We’re featuring a live Diggnation, great music from acclaimed band Republic Tigers, DJ Mancub (Space Cowboys) spinning tunes late into the night, and a special live performance of Scam School with host Brian Brushwood. As always, this is a free event to attend, and no SXSW badge is needed…just spread the word and we’ll see you there!

Date: Sunday, March 15th

These Boots are Made for Walking – NOON

Make your way to Allen’s Boots 1522 South Congress Ave….meet Richardatdell and David Armano for “AllHat…No Cattle” shopping for hats (special guest Mack Collier), boots, buckles and then a brunch…a great time of mixing and mingling.

Brian Solis Book Signing – 3.30 – 4 pm

Brian Solis will host a book signing at SXSW for his brand new book w/Deirdre Breakenridge, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR.” The book will be available for sale on site (or feel free to bring your copy). Located at the South by Bookstore

Date: Monday, March 16th

Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW – Downtown Hilton, 10 – 5.30 PM

You know I love me some BizSpark! The newest addition to the SXSW Interactive schedule of activities is Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW, which occurs on the sixth floor of the Downtown Austin Hilton. This event showcases some of the web’s most exciting new innovations, enabling the entrepreneurial visionaries behind these new products to demo their creations in front of a live audience of industry professionals and technology trend-settters.

Whrrl Me a Up – 8 – 10 pm

Whrrl is hosting the Official SXSW Film & Interactive party and bringing in some awesome entertainment! Don’t miss the world-premiere of Illeana Douglas with Sparhusen, and the hot new alt-rock band Parachute! Hosted bar and appetizers. RSVP here:

Mashable + Blurb SX Bash at 9.30 pm
Blurb starts things off at 8pm at Tap Room with food, drinks, and rockers Aranda. Mashable kicks it up a notch at 9:30pm in Six Lounge with drinks, DJ Marko, our friends from Powered, Blellow, Pepsi and don’t forget Paypal hosting the Social Media Smackdown for Charity. (will have a link for this once PR has gone out.)  RSVP here!

By the by, you’ve probably received reminder emails from SXSW, but just in case, make sure you note the following:

• REGISTRANTS – UPLOAD YOUR BADGE PHOTO NOW at my.sxsw.com.
• As soon as you get into town, go register FIRST. (bring a valid photo id and copy of your registration form).
• Check on your hotel and travel reservations.
• Make sure you are keeping your google calendar up to date with all these events and check it regularly. Things get CRAZY busy, but remember, go with the flow of it all and you will have a blast.
• Follow all relevant twitter accounts and sign up for mobile alerts by SXSW!
• Bring lots of casual outfits, but have a one or two dress up outfits for the biggest parties (see above).
• Ladies, have some comfortable walking shoes to use in between parties. There’s a lot of downtown walking.
• Don’t leave town without eating SaltLick BBQ and drinking lots of local beers! OH and going to Guero’s is a must!

By the way – there are too many amazing panels to mention here, but make sure you schedule a few of those as well, including David Armano, Deborah Schultz, Aubrey Sabala, and so many more.

See you in Austin next week!

************************************************************************

As I said on Twitter, I’m adding stuff that people send me:

• The MediaTemple Closing night party! They’ve just added Voxtrot to the lineup as well… If you don’t have a SXSW badge they will be giving away 200 tickets soon..stay posted
• 20×2 – Monday night, from 7 – 9:30: http://20×2.org/

Windows Mobile and the TechSet are very pleased to tell you about daily Tweet Ups that will be hosted in the TechSet Blogger Lounge. If you haven’t already done so, please make sure you are  signed up for the blogger lounge!

The TechSet Blogger Lounge is located in the Austin Suite (3rd Floor of the Convention Center). I know we will all be running around absorbing all the amazing energy, but when the clock strikes 4 pm each day, remember that YOU ARE INVITED TO TWEET UP WITH US AND OUR DAILY HOSTS! Each day we will feature a different partner host, all offering great prizes and excitement. To keep up to date on all the fun, make sure you are following us on Twitter:

@briansolis
@stephagresta
@techset
@wmdev
@lokeuei
@kevinmcguire
@hegenderfer

Check out what our friends have to say:

Friday, March 13th

BFFing with Live Search
Like you, Live Search is oozing with excitement to partake in the nerdy fundom that’s SxSWi! Our own private vice-driven reasons aside, we’re there to meet you and get your thoughts on search. Like, are you satisfied with today’s search? What can we do to improve the experience? Do you even know Microsoft does search??

At the Tweet Up, we’ll be roaming the floor with a Flip to capture thoughts (with your consent of course), giving out cool stuff, and just doing our darndest to get to know ya. You can also find us in the Microsoft booth in the Expo Hall show & telling our latest features. We also got something special planned for 6th St festivities. To find out, be sure to follow us on Twitter @Live_Search!

Social outlets we’d love to hear from everybody:
Live Search Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/
Please follow Live Search on Twitter:
@Live_Search
@baoki
@stefanweitz
@ayazook

Saturday, March 14th

Interactive High Definition Supercomputing Meets Web 2.0

The AMD Fusion Render Cloud aims to provide the world’s most powerful graphics-processing supercomputer to stream interactive movies and cinematic games to browser-capable mobile devices. Join us to discuss the implications: HD on the handheld? 3D social media? Web 2.0 game changer?

Charlie Boswell, director of Digital Media & Entertainment for AMD, and Jules Urbach, Founder and CEO of OTOY & LightStage, will lead a discussion about the possibilities once server-side HD graphics rendering becomes available to the masses. Help us redefine the matrix and discuss the unexplored creative possibilities, including eye-definition computing, Cinema 2.0, new revenue opportunities, new 3D and video-on-demand usage models, and more.

Also, be among the first to experience and test the Fusion Media Explorer, free content cataloguing software from AMD that lets you manage and manipulate your digital media content within a single, easy-to-use 3D interface. Plus, super cool prizes will be in the mix as well!!

Follow key AMD Twitter accounts:

@Boswell_CEO
@AMD_Unprocessed
@jtrex
@caseygotcher
@PatrickMoorhead
@IanMcNaughton
@wesley83
@SOLOTKO
@HalSpeed

Sunday, March 15th

Tweetup with Zappos and Magnify.net

What are you doing on Sunday from 4-6? Well, let us schedule something for you.  Zappos and Magnify.net will have a fun way for  you play along in the TechSet blog lounge.

Zappos.com & Magnify.net are teaming up during the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, TX to introduce new (super-secret) way capture Happiness. We’ll be giving away prizes and shooting video and giving away special Zappos prizes! PLUS – we’ll be doing box breaks. Check out the TechCrunch write up!

Food, drinks, and Magnified video action will be served!

Follow us on Twitter:

@zapposboxbreaks
@zappos
@brett_houchin
@macknuttie
@magnify

Monday, March 16th

Power Geek Girls at the Techset Blogger Lounge

InternetGeekGirl Stephanie Agresta and fellow Weberati Shira Lazar, Julia Allison, Tara Hunt, and Deborah Schultz are hosting a Tweetup to celebrate the brilliance and influence of tech female power players. Join them from 4-6 on Monday in the Techset Blogger Lounge, located at X.

Meet incredible people, join invigorating conversation, and also win cool incredible prizes from Rickshaw Bags, JB Pro Sound Systems and V-Moda earphones. Drinks and snacks will be served.

@stephagresta
@shiralazar
@missrogue
@debs
@juliaallison

Tuesday, March 17th
Farewell SXSW Tweetup

The Microsoft Windows Mobile team along with Stephanie Agresta and Brian Solis of The Techset say good bye to SXSW, attendees, and Austin Texas. Come say farewell on Tuesday from 4 – 6 in the Techset blog lounge located at X where we will announce prize winners, share our experiences, and talk about what’s next before we all leave to catch up on much needed sleep!

Hugs, food, and drinks will be served.

Follow us on Twitter:

@wmdev
@lokeuei
@kevinmcguire
@hegenderfer

Appendix:

Here are the Facebook links to the Tweet Up pages

AMD

Zappos

GeekGirl