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SXSW Baby!
General information about the South by Southwest culture or about the SXSW Baby! site itself.
Friday, March 12, 2010
SXSW Tips: Stretch Before Bed
Each night, after a long day of socializing and eating and drinking and walking around, before I get to bed, I try to stretch and massage my legs and feet. It can definitely make a difference since I’m doing so much standing during the day. So rub those tired feet or give them a good soak in the tub. Put your feet up. Stretch your hamstrings and calves. (I also drink a big glass of water and take some vitamins.)
Try to keep good posture during the marathon sessions of panels and parties. If you’re lugging a big laptop around all day, it can definitely take a toll on your back, especially if you’re not used to it.
Get some rest and see you guys, tomorrow! Sweet dreams, SXSW Baby readers.
Pick Up Your Badge on Thursday, Pick Up Now on 1st Floor
Straight from South By Headquarters, badge pickup begins Thursday, March 11 at 3pm and runs until 10:00pm for those of you arriving in the evening. Badge pickup re-opens Friday, March 12, at 9am.
And, if you’ve been to SXSW before, note that badge pickup has now moved to the first floor of the Austin Convention Center. It is no longer up the escalators on the second floor. For easiest access, enter the ACC on Trinity St between 2nd St and 3rd St. rather than on 4th Street.
If it’s your first time at SXSW, here’s a handy video from the festival/conference organizers. And you may also find it useful to listen to the podcast of last year’s How to Rawk SXSW panel.
Don’t get overwhelmed by Twitter at SXSW! Twitter is basically the easiest way to keep in touch with your fellow SXSWers, but people at SXSW are a chatty bunch. I don’t know about you, but I’m hesitant about allowing Twitter to send my friends’ updates to my phone, given how many people I follow.
But if you do have SMS updates on, I recommend setting Twitter off during sleeping hours, say between 1 AM and 8 AM.
If you don’t have SMS updates on, you might also want to turn on direct message forwarding to SMS. Tell people to DM you if they want to arrange a meetup and you’ll receive their message as a text message. Simply reply back “D username” with your reply, to direct message them back.
I hope you all increased your SMS plans with your cellular provider already! Now would be a good time to call to either add a text messaging plan or increase your allotment.
You may also want to warn your Twitter friends that you’re going to SXSW, and that it’s OK to unsubscribe from you or snooze you for a little while.
Hint: if you’re on AT&T, dial *DATA# to see your remaining text messages for this billing cycle. You’ll get a text message back with your billing cycle date, data usage so far in this cycle, and text messages used so far.
I also recommend using some of the more advanced features of Twitter to stay on top of things.
You can change your notification preferences for specific people by clicking on the Device Settings icon next to their username. This way you can choose to only receive some people’s tweets via SMS.
Search for information in real time on search.twitter.com. Try plugging in event names, venue names, or panel names, if you’re curious what people are thinking at any given time.
I’ve also collated some interesting people on Twitter on my SXSW list.
And of course don’t forget to give out your username when you meet someone new, and get theirs in return!
Getting ready for SXSW already? The SXSW Examiner has some good tips on what to bring. We heartily second the suggestions of earplugs, allergy medication, and dressing in layers.
As the dust settles on SXSW 2009 and the old lags make their reservations for 2011 (we sorted our Austin 2010 trip last year), I want to take a moment and thank Brad and the team for all their work on the Baby! this year, and in previous years. It’s a privilege to have the Podcasts co-hosted here, and I sure hope that they bring back memories for some of you, and bring a different SXSW to others as you wonder what to do until March next year.
So thank you, one and all.
But just before I disappear into the night, you do recall that Brad was speaking at Fray this year. You mean you missed it? Well, lucky you…
As things wind down (well, as much as they ever do in Austin) for SXSW 2009, the faithful are already planning for next year’s conferences and festivals. Mark your calendar!
SXSW Interactive: March 12–16, 2010
SXSW Film: March 12–20, 2010
SXSW Music: March 17–21, 2010
Pinch those pennies: a blogger’s guide to the cheap SXSW experience
Atlanta marketer—jobless for 10 months—Tessa Horehled is planning to spend only $200 to attend both SXSW Interactive and Music this year, not including her transportation. How will she do it? Well, she cashed in frequent flyer points for most of the travel and she got lucky enough to win an Interactive registration through an official giveaway. As for the rest? You’ll just have to follow her blog.
Every year, somebody—usually several somebodies—writes up a list of tips and tricks for surviving SXSW. No, not in the sense of “where to eat” or “how to avoid the grackle shit” but in the more ineffable “OMG how do I get over the anxiety of meeting all these cool folks with big delicious brains?!” manner. For an example of the breed, consider Robert Nagle’s “How to fit in at a geek conference” guide from 2006.
(Don’t forget, Apple devotees: SXSW Baby! has an iPhone-optimized version! We’ll be updating the home screen soon to include quick access to some essential resources to enhance your SXSW experience on the go.)
