SXSW Panel Picker open until 7/9/11

Thank you to all of the folks who responded to my call regarding prospective panels at SXSW! 

The first step for us to get these panels through is for us to place them on the Panel picker interface.  The deadline for panel submissions is July 9, 2011.  Once you place your panel on the interface, let me know.  If you are interested in my being on your panel or in my helping you find other panelists, I am happy to help- just tweet me: @KetyE.

More on the panel submission below:

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST ANNOUNCES


PANELPICKER™ INTERFACE NOW OPEN FOR 2011

Proposals Sought for Music, Film and Interactive Events

June 15, 2010 - Austin, TX– South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals kick off the 2011 season today, as the popular PanelPicker™ interface opens to accept programming proposals for the next event. The PanelPicker™ interface is an innovative online tool that allows the SXSW community to have a significant voice in programming Music, Film, and Interactive conference activities (panels, presentations, discussions, etc.) through an open proposal and voting process. For the first time last season, the SXSW Music and Film conferences joined SXSW Interactive in using the PanelPicker™ interface to accept ideas, resulting in over 2,800 submissions. The move was a resounding success for SXSW, continuing its efforts to build on the unique intersection of creative and professional minds throughout the three events.

PanelPicker™ is a two-step online system. Step One encourages the community to submit proposals for programming at SXSW through the PanelPicker™ interface at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ beginning Tuesday, June 15, 2010 through Friday, July 9, 2010. Additional information including categories, presentation formats, and the new user-generated tags feature built in to PanelPicker™ can be found at http://sxsw.com/panelpicker_faq. Step Two allows the community to browse all of these ideas -- and rate which of these proposals they think are the best fit for the March 2011 event. Community voting begins Monday, August 9, 2010 and will continue through Friday, August 27, 2010.

“Integrating the PanelPicker interface process into all three events proved to be a great success in 2010,” says Roland Swenson, SXSW’s Managing Director. “We look forward to continuing to engage directly with the SXSW community, so we can shape the most dynamic and forward-thinking event possible for 2011.”

For 2011, SXSW Interactive is seeking proposals for solo and advanced level presentations. SXSW Film is most interested in proposals geared towards creating, marketing, and finding audiences for films in this new digital age, as well as hands-on workshop ideas. SXSW Music welcomes all ideas that bring new voices, perspectives and energy to the music conference.

The PanelPicker™ interface is accessible to the public, whether past attendees or engaged consumers. Participants will have the opportunity to propose and vote on ideas for any or all three SXSW events. Votes from the community, along with feedback from SXSW Advisory Boards and the SXSW staff, will help determine programming for the 2011 event.

Adding Diversity to the Conference Circuit: Starting with SXSWi

For the last two years I have had the distinct honor and priviledge to be a panelist at SXSWi.  Unfortunately, I have been one of the only Latino panelists and potentially the only Latina panelist.

This is more often than not my experience on the conference circuit and one of the reasons that I joined with Ana Roca Castro and Louis Pagan in September of 2009, the original leaders of Latinos in Social Media to try and create a structure through which we could remedy this challenge. 

On the conference circuit, the response that I get often for this dearth of Latino and Latina panelists is: we don't have any other Latino/Latina panelists because there is no one else out there.  My experience has been that many of the conference organizers blame the digital divide.

However, although the digital divide is a very real problem that faces a certain part of our community the reality is that the Hispanic community is diverse and multi-faceted; and we have had some experts in technology, social media and new media for decades.  The opportunity is making sure that these folks are getting the exposure that they deserve. 

As it relates to SXSWi I first raised the issue with the conference organizers when I participated in their conference two years ago.  In response, last year we organized the first ever Latinos in Tech panel at SXSWi which we hope to do again in 2011.  This year, however, my objective is much more ambitious and I am partnering with the conference organizers at SXSW to make it real.  Given the fact that SXSW is in Texas which is heavily populated by Hispanics, our hope is to bring to the table dozens of panels enfused with Hispanics, Tejanos, Latinos, Mexican-Americans, Boricuas, Chapinos, Ticos, Guanacos, Pinoleros, Catrachos, etc.  This project has been two years in the works and I believe that now is the time for us to make it reality. 

To date, more than a dozen folks have responded to my call to bring more Hispanic/Latino panelists to SXSWi.  If you are interested in joining us or helping out, tweet me: @KetyE.

Latinos in Tech Panel at SXSW 2010: Latinos, Technology and the Census

Here is the first video from the Latinos in Tech Event at SXSW. Thank you @mlackey for filming and @JulieDiazAsper for letting her use the flip!

Join Me for Three Sessions at SXSW 2010

In a few hours I am heading to one of the biggest technology conferences of the year - SXSW Interactive.  I was invited to speak at the conference last year and after my presentation was truly overwhelmed with the number of panels offered in the remaining days I spent in Austin, Texas.  So this year, I am prepared.  I anticipate drinking a lot of water, sleeping as much as I can (as I crash at one of my good friends homes) and squeezing in as many panels and quality time with thought leaders in the interactive field as humanly possible.  Are you going to be there?  If so, let's meet up!  If you are on twitter, tweet me.  My handle is @KetyE.

I am speaking/participating in three sessions this year.  The first is a panel organized by Jeffrey Bowman (a partner at Ogilvy & Mather's Consulting Practice) which is happening at the Blacks in Technology Meetup at the Carver Museum http://bit.ly/9gcu6E.  It is open to both badge holders and locals without badges alike.  My fellow panelists include musician and 'new media pioneer' Ryan Leslie; the founder of the digital strategic consulting firm Everywhere James Andrews; and blogger and social media maven Nichelle Stephens.  

The second session is happening at the conference itself.  It is a part of the Interactive Future 15 Greater Good Series.  The topic, "Is Technology the Great Equalizer?" http://bit.ly/bvFiYI.  Its on Sunday, March 14 at 3:30 PM in room 9ABC at the convention center.  This session is only for participants of SXSW (only open to folks with SXSWi badges). 

The third session is happening at the first ever Latinos in Technology Meetup at SXSW which I have organized with the help of Julie Diaz-Asper, Marisa Treviño, Deanne Cuellar, Maribel Lackey, Manuel Delgado, Fernando Labastida, Rob Garcia, Romeo and Armando Arayo.  It is also on Sunday at 6pm.  It is a panel at the Carver Museum http://bit.ly/9ffSbO which will be followed by a salsa social/networking event. Both badge holders and locals without badges are welcome. Dancing is not required, but encouraged.  RSVP here: http://bit.ly/9ffSbO.

If you are in Austin, Texas on these days, I hope to see you at one if not all three of these events!