After SXSW

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

I already miss waking up in the morning and planning my day at the Hide Out over a cup of joe. I miss that walk from 7th and Congress to the convention center seeing fellow lanyards. More importantly I miss seeing those who contribute so much to the beautiful corners of our web.

There were some great panel lineups and as much as I love hearing about tech and code I felt like distancing myself from the technical aspects of our industry and focus on listening to what others had to say about the roles psychology and sociology play in what we do.

One of my favorites had to be Charles MacInerney’s discussion on How To Increase Creativity At Work. His overview of brain wave frequencies, mind mapping, paradigm shifting and yoga techniques really opened my eyes. I’ve been practicing his breathing and stretching techniques and they really do work!

Another panel that stuck with me was Kathy Sierra’s presentation on Creating Passionate Users. Kathy summed it up best, “it doesn’t matter what people think about your brand, it’s about how they think about themselves.” I’m so intrigued about the human brain and this panel was icing on the cake. I raced to the bookstore yesterday to buy Flow and I can’t wait to start absorbing.

There were so many great panels, I could go on and on. I left SXSW enlightened and humble. It was so great met new people and experience Austin. My only regret is not shedding my introverted coat, however, this was my first and hopefully next year I’ll be more daring and approachable. Until then, I have a lot of homework.