Friday, August 8, 2008

2009 Interactive “Panel Picker” now live

The 2009 Interactive Panel Picker is now live. The web application on the SXSW site permits you to create a personal login and vote for panels you’d most like to see during the Interactive conference. According to SXSW, 30 percent of festival programming is selected based on feedback submitted through the panel picker; the remaining programming is determined by the SXSW staff and advisory board.

There’s a huge number of panel proposals to choose from, divided into categories for easier navigation. Business applications and social networking topics continue to dominate. Says SXSW:

One of the most amazing aspects of the Panel Picker is that it provides an intriguing snapshot of the current state of the new media industry. Recession, what recession? For 2009, we received 176 submissions in the “Business / Entrepreneurial” category. In fact, the only category which received more submissions was “Advertising / Marketing” at 185. These numbers reaffirm how important a role emerging technology now plays in the commerce of our day-to-day lives.

What is the most common cross-category theme amongst 2009 submissions? That would definitely be “social”—as is social media and social networks and social software and social systems. The number of proposals that reference this buzzword in one form or another indicate that (for better or for worse) we are still at the tip of the iceberg of this trend.

So get over there and get to pickin’! Voting closes on August 29.