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Alex Jones

I lead teams at the intersection of strategy and design. Autodidact. Polymath. Barbecue acolyte. I start fires (the good kind).

South by Southwest

Say Hi at South-By

Keep an eye out for my dome
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more”

March is glorious here in Austin. The weather is both beautiful and mysterious – two weeks ago we had snow and now we’re enjoying sunny days and 80° weather. Even better than the newly arrived birds and gorgeous afternoons is the geek population explosion. For one week of the year Austin is smarter and snarkier than any other point (followed by a week where it’s not as smart, but much more fashionable).

Let’s Connect

Suffice it to say, I’m in my element and positively psyched. I hope you are too. If you’re coming to Austin, please say hello if you see me. If you’re coming by yourself and you don’t think you know anyone – well, you know me, so say hi. I’ve included my picture so you can recognize me among the thousands and you can also connect with me on Twitter, Gowalla and Foursquare if you want to keep up with where I am and plot a course to intercept me somewhere.

Rollin’ Without a Plan

I’ve decided to skip the scheduling dance this year. I never stick to what I plan panel-wise, choosing to go with the flow and follow the recommendations of friends. On the party front, I’ve RSVPed for everything I’ve seen, but again it will all depend on who I’m with, whether there’s a line (I tend to skip those) and the mood at the moment. There are a couple of parties I do plan to hit no matter what, including the Big Ass Twitter Happy Hour Thursday evening, the Refresh SXSWi Kickoff Lunch on Friday and the Demand Media/Do512/CLEAR Party on Monday.

So say hi when you see me!

Turn Out the Lights…

While South by Southwest 2008 continues to rock Austin, the mass influx of geeks have made their way back to their domiciles in cities near and far. The Interactive conference is over, but we made our mark on the city, doubt you not: Tex-Mex and Barbecue were eaten in vast quantities, liquor, beer and wine were ingested in copious quantities and many a breakfast was consumed at the crack of noon.

Yet again, I met some outstanding people and count myself lucky to have participated in amazing conversations.

Our community is vibrant and strong because we have held onto the expectations that we have a world to improve, and that the changes we need to make require the concentrated effort of a diverse and passionate team.

While so many technologies exist to make it easy for us to work together from disparate locations and time zones, South by Southwest 2008 demonstrated yet again that physical presence conjoined with social interaction forms mighty bonds, reenergizes the community and breeds new ideas. I can’t wait to see the projects that launch in the coming months, nor can I wait to interact with and learn from the friends I made at the conference this year as I have with those I met in years past.

Thanks to everyone who came to Austin this year and thanks most especially to those who took the time to strike up a conversation with friends-to-be.

Oh, and yes, my voice is coming back, though I rather like the deeper, Tom Waits-like guttural undertones it picked up in the last few days. It makes me sound ten times cooler than I really am.

Time for South-By

My badge photo for SXSW 2008 South by Southwest officially starts tomorrow, though some of us are kicking things off a bit early, so I wanted to post a quick note for anyone who may be attending. South-By is the king of Web conferences, but the best part for me is meeting so many great people and the amazing conversations the occur between panels and during the parties.

I’ve posted my badge photo so you’ll know what I look like – if you see me at the conference, say hi. For that matter, make sure you start conversations with total strangers, especially if they’re one of your heroes on the Net. Everyone is approachable, and unbelievably friendly.

If you’re in town tonight (Thursday), c’mon by the Gingerman, where a few of us will be raising pints in anticipation.

Please Vote for My Panel Submission at SXSWi 2008

There are just under 700 panels submitted for the 2008 schedule of South by Southwest Interactive. One of them happens to be mine. If you know me, or follow this site on a regular basis, then you are aware how involved I am with Refresh Austin, and the passion with which I participate in its happenings. My latest series of articles (Parts One & Two) speak to the topic I submitted – how to harness the power of online social networks to create, expand and maintain groups in the physical world, and how to use the physical world to improve upon your social networks.

I think this is an important topic, and I would really love the opportunity to spread what I’ve learned and share ideas with others in a panel as well as at the social events that make up SXSWi. If you have a couple of minutes, please rate my panel. You will likely need to sign up for the Panel Picker, even if you’ve attended in years past, but it’s a very quick process.

My Panel: Meat-space: A Plugin for Social Software

Thanks!

Say Hi at South-By!

As South by Southwest Interactive is right around the corner, I want to let people know that I’m attending and would love to meet and hang out with any and all of you who are going too. It’s a great event with a ton of interesting panels and keynotes, but the most important part (for me at least) is the people you meet and talk to throughout the days and nights. Last year I met some really cool people and I look forward to doing so again.

If you’re coming and you’d like to hang out at the conference or any of the after-parties, lemme know by replying to this entry, or tapping my shoulder during the events. There is no reason to wander SXSWi alone! Start conversations with strangers, and if that isn’t your style, look for me and say hi (you’re reading this post, so we’ve now me, right? right). There’s a picture of me at the bottom of this entry so you’ll recognize me.

I’m local to Austin and am gathering some other local Web folk as well, so I hope to have a nice size group together. For those who aren’t technical, don’t worry, some of the best conversations tend to focus on broader topics, and I know many of us welcome a chance to learn about areas beyond dev and design. Cross-pollination is good.

Photo of Alex

Wow, that’s a large photo… Anyway, I may or may not be wearing the glasses, but my head should remain shiny.

So come say hi. It doesn’t matter if I’m talking to other people, join in!

Where I’ll be

Events I plan to attend, but subject to last minute distractions and possible double-booking (tell me if I’m missing something good!).

Upcoming.org Events

More places to find me at SXSWi »

I’ll try to publish the schedule of panels I plan to attend when I have a chance.