Monday, February 25, 2008

Twittering at SXSW

The service had been up and running for nearly a year before the conference, but usage of Twitter, the microblogging and/or mobile social networking service, exploded at SXSWlast year. Thousands of users organized dinner groups, meetups, impromptu parties; engaged in “back-channel” chatter, and just plain kept in touch using Twitter.

And it seems unlikely to be different this year except, perhaps, by adding a few thousand more users to the mix.

Although it’s possible to access and update one’s Twitter status from the web or by using an instant messaging service, at conferences such as SXSW, the most common means of interacting with other Twitter users is via text message from a cell phone or other mobile device. So here’s a big tip for SXSW attendees: If you’re going to be relying on Twitter text message updates to stay in touch with your friends, make sure you’ve got a generous or unlimited text messaging plan from your carrier. While use of Twitter itself is free, text message fees can pile up quickly once your monthly allotted number is exhausted...and that’s likely to happen on day one of SXSW if your pals are as chatty as mine.

If you’ve an internet-capable phone or mobile device, you may want to eschew text messaging with Twitter in favor of the service’s mobile interface at m.twitter.com. (Mobile Twitter is particularly slick on an iPhone. I haven’t seen it on other platforms.) It’s certainly cheaper in the long run, although you won’t be instantly notified of updates from your friends as you would be when using text messages.

This year, there’s a pretty active contingent of Twitter friends and fans (they call themselves “Tweeps") who are organizing their plans for SXSW using a wiki and Twitter. There are at least a couple dozen—and probably whole lot more—"tweet-ups" planned throughout the Interactive, Film and Music events, from simple post-panel glass-liftings to full days of show-crawling.

And, of course, SXSW Baby! has a brand-new Twitter account, so you can “follow” us for updates from the blog and the Baby! Boards as well as occasional “live” updates on important or deeply cool matters during SXSW.

So do you Twitter? Do you find it a helpful tool when you’re at SXSW (or another conference, for that matter)? What’s your favorite Twitter tip?