Livingston

Aug
20
2008

The Few…The Proud?

panel_picker_pickme It was either a stroke of genius or a moment of weakness that prompted SXSW’s Interactive Panel Picker. The website works by crowdsourcing potential panels that attendees (or, wishful attendees) want to see.

Since the Web 2.0 community is all about being interactive and promoting conversation, this appears to be the perfect solution to picking from a number of abstracts. On the other hand, the choices are a bit overwhelming with over 1,250 panels to sort through (including everything from successful foodblogging to fashion, and social media for nonprofits to moms who are technology geeks). Maybe it was simply too much to sift through for the SXSW Advisory Board and staff.

One of the drawbacks of the panel picker is that it has the potential to turn into a popularity contest. Users who have large social networks and “A-list” status can draw more attention and votes to their panel. People who may have a stellar idea but do not have a large social network to recruit votes from could be left out in the cold. The good news is, only 30% of the decision is placed directly in the hands of the consumer.

Not only that, but it can be a bit off-putting to see 100+ blog posts begging for votes. It almost makes people feel guilty for not voting, or, for not voting for their friends and colleagues. Some questions that come to mind: are people voting for content, or voting for their friends? And in the end, does good content drive "popularity", or can someone be popular without providing meaningful and relevant content? Building relationships is important and an integral part of social networks, but is the panel picker diverting attendees from looking at the big picture?

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, and it’s definitely an honor to be chosen to speak at SXSW. However, how much impact can you really make within the echochamber?

AddThis Social Bookmark Button
by Larissa Fair | Social Networks |

5 Responses to “The Few…The Proud?”

  • PR4Pirates Says:

    August 20th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

    I think the fact that only 30% of the decision is based on panel picker means that SXSW is still playing a huge editorial role in this, which ultimately is what attendees are paying for.

    So why give the crowd any say at all? Maybe it’s helpful in finding up-and-comers… if a submitter can mobilize support from their network– support that goes beyond what’s obviously gamed– then it tells SXSW they should take a closer look at the panel idea.

    I wonder if they’d get any different result if they just made everyone submit their blog url and then rank them based on PageRank, Feedburner subs, and Alexa rank.

  • Alexandre Says:

    August 20th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    Insightful post. Wish more people would discuss these issues.
    SXSWi is an excellent example of what we may call the “geek niche.” It’s actually a small world, though some members of the geekscene are quite influential.
    Not to mention how funny it is to watch ATX transform itself for those few days in March.

  • Larry Lawfer Says:

    August 20th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    While the crowd does only account for a third of the vote is this popularity contest, I was approached through broadcast email by one of our popular friends to vote for him. During a recent podcamp he had asked the audience from some other specific help that matched specifically to my skills. In both instances I offered freely, isn’t that what we do for friends. After I voted for his presenting at SWSX I sent our friend a quick note telling him so and asking when we would get together to work on his other project. It is now a week or more since I sent that note.
    I am sitting in my hotel room in San Jose having been brought in by the organizers to speak on the topic of Storyteller Marketing to the Search Engine Strategies conference and wondering why this friend didn’t have the time to thank me for my generous follow through on his requests. I think it is so important to respond to people when you make requests from them. We are all busy. When people take the time to help you in ways in which you request it is only good manners to respond. The option is to never respond again, and then to talk about it to people you know. I have purposely left the name out because I actually do like this person, but I will no longer respond to his requests.

    I do see the value in unconference and in conferences that allow the population to have a hand in who they listen to, but here at this paid conference where experts and expert presentations are demanded the level of information shared is better across the board. I will continue to attend and share my skills with the unconference crowd, but my eyes have been re-opened by my friends lack of response, and the obvious pimping that goes on in the social medias to build an audience. In my case an audience who won’t be hearing the next request.

  • Larissa Fair Says:

    August 21st, 2008 at 11:01 am

    Larry - that is unfortunate to hear, and definitely brings us back to the idea that it’s all about relationships. How you handle your interactions with others is still paramount to your “A-list” status.

    Alexandre - thank you for your comment. I agree it’s certainly a “geek niche”. I can assure you most of my friends would not have the slightest idea what SXSW or the panel picker is, nor would they care.

    PR4Pirates - that is true that SXSW still manages most of the editorial content. I do think that the base idea of crowdsourcing responses is great, but not sure that this was the best venue for that. Would be interesting to see results through other means (as you mentioned, ranking, RSS subs, etc.)

  • Comment by Paul May: I think the fact that only... — BackType Says:

    October 10th, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    Kramer auto Pingback[...] The Few…The Proud? on The Buzz Bin from 7 weeks ago [...]

Leave a Reply