Headed SXSW

Interacting.

Today I travel back to Austin for SXSW 2011. I love this conference. Yes, it’s too big. Yes, it’s fraught with distractions. Yes, it can destroy you. But I love it because with so many great minds converging in one place at one time, the unplanned is as important as the planned.

I have a staggering wish list of panels and parties and performances, but the most valuable moments for me are the one-on-one connections that occur outside the scheduled events. Running into friends on the street. Making new contacts as a presentation empties out. Discovering a great new band as you’re looking for your next caffienated beverage. These moments bring me back.

I’ll try to continue to post from Austin, hopefully sharing some of the nuggets I’ve captured at the end of each day. If you don’t hear from me, don’t worry; I’m probably standing a few feet away from a cranked Marshall stack, with a big grin on my face, sharing my geo-tagged images on Twitter. Please know, though, that I’ll try my damnedest to see you on the ‘morrow, on the Web.