Emily Dee addresses the challenges of networking at SXSWi. In my experience these events often remind me of music conferences I attended in high school in which everything is a popularity / ego contest. I say this as someone who is lucky to have great friends and connections in the web industry, so how do the newcomers and startups feel? Can we create better online experiences if we open up a bit and learn to view each other as truly equal contributors? In an industry that evolves so quickly, fresh perspectives should always be welcome.
There are great exceptions of course, like the Carsonified events in which Ryan and crew encourage a very open atmosphere (it also helps that those events are smaller).
As for the parties, I don’t necessarily see the need to change anything there. I just want to drink up with Zuckers so I can try to convince him to kill the ridiculous apps and gifts on Facebook.
Thanks to Emily for referencing this site in her blog, which is actually how I found the post.