SXSW has grown by leaps and bounds. Yesterday I learned there are more speakers at the 2010 conference then there were attendees at the first conference.
I’ve had a great time so far. The panels have been great, much more even than last year. Either I got better at choosing or they’re just all-around better; not sure. But this year I also have the understanding that there’s just as much to learn outside the panels as in.
Content Strategy
I’ve pulled some good meat from the panels on web design and development, but the term that has emerged in my mind more than any is Content Strategy. There’s been a lot of talk about this from a variety of different sources, including the author of the book Content Strategy, who gave a great talk, but from other interesting sources as well.
To a degree, I’ve done a lot of content strategy work when I was at Exit133 or for one or two of Mary’s clients. But this gave a name to the process: how to evaluate the content you have, chart new ways forward, and make sure that what you’re offering really is what people expect when they get to your site. I bought the book and I hope to get better insights into the process of creating and maintaining good content.
Four Square
I came in having used both Gowalla and Four Square. To judge by checkins, and buzz, Four Square is the location-based app to be on. Especially if businesses start offering deals like I noted below.
Writing and Publishing
I attended a fabulous panel on the future of publishing with a great mix of experts in their fields. In some ways, some of the most inspiration I’ve taken away so far has been on the creative side with my novel-writing. There are some very interesting opportunities and some fascinating new projects people are undertaking. I’ll try to cover this all more later in a single post, but this has been a recurring theme for me here so far.
I’ll fill in the blanks more later. Be back in Tacoma late Tuesday night!