Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2009 > March > 23 > Entry
Lingering SXSW questions
It’s been almost a week since my head exploded from all the fun that was South by Southwest Interactive (maybe you heard something about it on this blog?).
Although i didn’t get enough rest afterward like I’d planned (never plan rest; it doesn’t work), I did have a little time to reflect on the fest, even beyond the postmortem that ran in yesterday’s paper.
Mostly, I was left with a few questions that I hope to have answered before next year’s festival rolls around. Things like:
- If AT&T fixed their network service midway through South by Southwest Interactive, why did it seem to flail again on Wednesday when the music service started. You’d think a lot of iPhones would have left town by then, but maybe musicians like their iPhones as much as techies.
- Why was the Comedy on the Web panel, which had a great lineup including B.J. Novak from “The Office” such a snooze? Was it because it was so late in the day on a Saturday? All I know is that the comedy heavy hitters were almost outclassed by Boxee CEO Avner Ronen, who was knowledgeable and funny.
- If SXSWi had a 25 percent jump in attendance, the film fest was flat and the music fest dropped, does that mean the Austin Chronicle will give the fest more attention next year? Is Interactive becoming the fest’s crown jewel?
- Was Tony Hsieh’s great opening remarks keynote a rehash of previous speeches? Though it was fun to watch, people who’ve seen Hsieh speak before said they’d heard many of the things he talked about before, right down to an anecdote about a Zappos employee who called in to ask one of their customer service reps about pizza places.
- How exactly will keynoter Chris Anderson’s book “Free” be marketed? He hinted strongly in his interview with Guy Kawasaki that he and his publisher are looking at innovate ways to market the book that fit the theme. And will SXSWi attendees who follow the two of them on Twitter get their free copy of the book as promised?
- Will Sky Lounge and Pangea continue to be the big, crowded party places next year?
- How well attended were the 6:30 p.m. salon sessions? I found I missed every single one of them — the timing just never worked for me. Was the experiment a success?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Internet, SXSW 2009
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By Caroling Lee
March 25, 2009 5:27 PM | Link to this
And don't forget the "gaming keyboard" courtesy of HP. What IS it worth?
By Carla
March 24, 2009 4:51 PM | Link to this
I don't think I was one of the folks you talked to but the spiel that Tony gave was the exact same spiel I heard from HR when I was given a tour.
I really enjoy listening to him speak, and I love the culture at Zappos but I too was hoping for something a little more original than what I'd already heard.