Hey Baby! What’s New?

Can you feel that electric crackle in the air? Yep, that's the sensation of South by Southwest quickly approaching! With the Interactive, Film and Music Festivals & Conferences just weeks away, SXSW Baby! is preparing for another fantastic SXSW. There've been a few changes around here, so here's the scoop:

First and foremost, we're pleased to introduce The Baby! Boards, a discussion forum for all things SXSW. We know you love the weblog—in fact, you're soaking in it!—and it's not going away. But we heard your requests for an even more informal place to chat about the topics you love, so The Baby! Boards were born. Head on over there and join the discussion or start one of your own.

As for the SXSW Baby! weblog, we're turning it over to just a few Babysitters—all SXSW veterans—who'll be keeping you up to date on the hot topics and tips you need to know about South by Southwest. We'll be keeping an eye on the big parties you won't want to miss, the films you must see, the musical guests you simply must mosh with, and we'll have tons of advice for SXSW newbies. Of course, we'll have the other eye on the Baby! Boards so we can boost any big announcements or major gossip right up to the front page. If you're already a member of SXSW Baby!, your existing login will work to post or comment on The Baby! Boards, or to add comments to posts right here. If you're not already a member, it's easy to create an account and join the fun.

Another advantage of membership is that you'll bask in the SXSW Baby! experience ad-free. Yes, we've placed a few Google ads here and there on the site, just to offset a bit of the hosting and maintenance costs to take care of this Baby! Logged-in members won't see them, though. We hope they're not too much of an annoyance for anyone. If you have thoughts or feedback, let us know on the Baby! Boards.

As we get nearer to heading to Austin, we'll have some additional features new features to talk about and some old favorites. Our pal Ewan Spence has promised to return this year with his dispatches from SXSW for The Podcast Network, we'll be introducing all the Babysitters and, of course, we'll be on the lookout for ways to make your SXSW unforgettable.

So welcome—or welcome back! Let's get this Baby! rolling.