I’m in Austin this week, for my first South By Southwest.
My first take on the event was that it felt like crashing someone else’s high school reunion, only to find that all the cool kids had already snuck out back for a smoke. But on closer inspection, it’s much more like Burning Man: there is simply too much to take in, and you need to abandon your FOMO and just go with it.
Once I found out I was coming, I started to find other things to do:
- The Lean Startup event at the Hilton on Saturday, March 9, where Eric Ries assembled a daunting lineup of smart people.
- A slot at the #ideaDrop library house, 4pm on Monday, March 11 (at 2902 French Place, if you’re here!) to talk about Big Data and a billion bad librarians.
- The main reason I’m here, to talk about social media monitoring with Blake Robinson, Susan Etlinger, and Margaret Francis on Tuesday, March 12. Apparently it’s sold out; not sure I can help with that if you wanted to get in.
With Lean Analytics done, I’ve got dozens of things I want to write about: crapweeding, bicycle experiments, the elimination of the nickel, and how RSVPs bite back. With all these ideas banging around in my brain, I most desperately need some time to write; unfortunately, that won’t happen soon.
- I’m headed to NYC to talk with iNovia’s team and portfolio about the problems of TMI on March 14.
- There an IBM tweetchat on March 18.
- There’s a day-long workshop at MaRS on March 19
- Later that day, there’s the inaugural Startup Metrics meetup. I think that’s sold out too.
- Then there’s Cloud Connect in early April.
- Then Tokyo, for an April 8 event at Open Network Lab; the Nikkei BP Big Data Conference on the 9th; some mentoring of Onlab Startups on the 10th, and a workshop at the Open Network Lab.
- Then off to Frankfurt and Bonn at the end of April.
I’m writing this list for two reasons. First: it would be great to hang out, if you read this or subscribe to the mailing list. Bug me and let’s grab a coffee or better yet take a hike. And second, making lists temporarily relieves the sense of not accomplishing stuff.