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Tag: sxsw 2012

  • Glomper App Launches Today at SXSW

    Glomper App Launches Today at SXSW

    Glomper Event is a new app that allows users to get pertinent details about an event, with photos, conversations, comments, and interactions while on the go. It launched today at SXSW to give festival attendees a better glimpse of its capabilities with a pre-populated list of all the SXSW events.

    The Glomper interface looks a lot like Pinterest, with streaming photos from events aligning down the center of the page. The user can click on an event to see the full details, including pictures, people who are attending and comments. When you click to view an event, it sort of looks like a Facebook home page for parties instead of people. Glomper even includes a feature where you can “heart” something by clicking an outline of a heart which fills in when you “like”, um, “heart” something.

    The free app version is now available for iPhone or Android phones, and lists all of the parties and activities going on at SXSW. Event attendees can keep track of where all there friends are and share photos of what they’re doing.

    Glomper features

    • See full stream of one event – pictures, comments, tags, and conversation happening there
    • Offline mode
    • Interactive map so people can see where their friends are hanging out.
    • Uses Facebook Connect, allowing anyone to share pictures and posts.

    Here is what Glomper CEO, Alexander Borodich said about the launch and the hopes he has for Glomper:

    “Social media plays a huge role in our online and offline social lives – that’s how we hear about events, conferences, meet-ups; decide which clubs, restaurants, bars are the best; what parties are going on, if it’s rocking or if it’s a dud – and for the busy social butterfly, there’s currently no way to track it all in one place – instead we’re forced to scour our social networks for information and piece it all together ourselves. Glomper Events is the perfect mobile app for everyone with an active social life, who likes to explore new places, and meet new people – we want to bring the engagement of social media to their offline world, and what better place to launch than at SXSW.”

  • Mozilla Teams With New York Times For OpenNews

    Mozilla is planning to make an announcement at SXSW 2012 on Saturday that The New York Times will be joining the Knight-Mozilla OpenNews project. The project is designed to drive technological innovation in journalism by placing fellows in the newsrooms of various news organizations to work alongside developers and journalists. Those who receive the fellowships share their work with other members of the OpenNews project, allowing others to see and duplicate what advances are being made.

    The New York Times is one of four partners that are joining the project. ProPublica, Spiegel Online (in Germany), and La Nacion (in Buenos Aires) are also new partners this year. These four new organizations join the BBC, the Guardian, Zeit Online, the Boston Globe, and Al Jazeera as partners in the program, which was founded in the spring of 2011.

    The OpenNews Project will be awarding eight new fellowships in the coming months, with applications opening on April 9. Fellows spend a year embedded with one of the eight partner organizations, writing code alongside developers and journalists. Aron Pilhofer, Editor of Interactive News at The New York Times, expressed his enthusiasm at the project, which he said grands those in the news industry the opportunity to “dig deep on a subject of critical importance” in a way they usually can’t.

  • Google Maps SXSW, Erects Google Village Tomorrow

    South by Southwest 2012 kicks off today and, as planned, Google will be effectively taking over the residential avenue of Rainey Street in Austin, Texas, to erect their Google Village that will be opening up tomorrow. With these sorts of events, though, attendees can almost always count on the maxim that where Google goes, so goes a customized update to Google Maps. This year’s SXSW is no exception.

    Some of the Google tools that they’re rolling out include the mobile map for SXSW so all the altered beasts going to the festival will be able to find their way around Austin. Google will also have their Hogwarts-style colony on Rainey Street, the aforementioned Google Village, which will host the Developer’s House, Discovery House, Maps House, and Android House.


    View Google Village at SXSW in a larger map

    Google’s also helping you stay full and inebriated this year at SXSW by providing Zagat-hosted happy hours that will be available throughout the week, which will also give attendees the opportunity to rub elbows with some Google dignitaries.

    If you’re not able to go to SXSW, Google will be hosting several Hangouts for those of you who would still wish to virtually attend. If you will be at SXSW in person, however, Google also has the ever-reliable Street View of Rainey Street so you can visually plan your street-level trek through the Google Village. Or, if you’re the intrepid type, you can take a cue from the travelers featured below in the Google Street View sample of Rainey Street.


    View Larger Map

    As always, you can keep up with all the Googleness on their full schedule, but while that might be fun for the tech-inclined, don’t forget: there’s loads of live music happening that you really should check out.

  • Cleaning the SXSW Stuff Out of Your Twitter Stream

    Are you tired of reading about people enjoying themselves at the 2012 SXSW convention while you slave away in cubicle hell? Is your Twitter stream filled with tweets from your friends who could afford the trip the Austin, Texas and the jealousy is overwhelming your ability to focus? Well, Jack Archibald (@jaffathecake) has just the browser extension for you.

    Let’s face it, reading about other people’s good time at SXSW while you’re toiling away sucks, and Archibald realized this as well, and, the developers at Lanyrd.com decided to come up with a solution, which manifested in the form of an aforementioned browser extension. The widget then hides tweets from those who are fortunate enough to be attending SXSW, “leaving you with tweets from people who are having the same not-at-SXSW experience as yourself.”

    The extension is available for all the major browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. According to the description, the “Not at SXSW” extension will become inert after March 16th, when the coolest convention you’re not attending closes its doors until 2013. No word if the extension will become active when the next SXSW rolls around. In case you’re still not sure why there’s a need for such an add-on, allow Lanyrd to explain:

    It might be tempting to simply tolerate a Twitter stream like above, but unfortunately prolonged exposure to this brand of gushing joy, in-jokes and camaraderie (Click for an example of the tweets one might expect to see) can lead to violent emotional and/or physical outbursts.

    At Lanyrd, we worried about how this may affect your loved ones, so we locked our science boffins in a room and refused to feed them until they developed an antidote.

    There’s even a Not At SXSW Twitter account, and considering Lanyrd links to it, it’s not a stretch to assume they are responsible for it. Naturally, the account is pushing the #notatsxsw hashtag:

    @tamera
    Tamera Kremer    TGIF! Looking forward to a weekend of friends, writing, and of course, chores. #notatsxsw 1 hour ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @tajim
    Mohammad Tajim    I am #NotAtSXSW . Just to clarify . 😛 8 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @KaryD
    Kary Delaria    @MackCollier That’s it. I’m wearing a hat and eating tacos during the #NotAtSXSW chat on Friday. #Allhat 1 day ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @DigitalBlonde
    Karen Fewell    #NotAtSXSW and already jealous of those at #sxsw 8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    For those of you who aren’t at SXSW, do these tweets sum up your feelings about missing out? Or is this just another one of the many conferences you won’t be attending this year?

  • SXSW 2012 Musicians Get Exposure at Houlihan’s

    SXSW 2012 Musicians Get Exposure at Houlihan’s

    For promising musicians looking for their big-break, being “H-Listed” could be the ticket. Houlihan’s Restaurants, known for infusing their music strategy into the dining experience by featuring indie bands and lesser known tracks, launched the multi-faceted campaign today to provide budding musicians a vast, new platform to be heard.

    The perks of being “H-Listed” include promotion of artists and bands within 83 Houlihan’s restaurants across the country and more than 1 million impressions online through Houlihan’s website, social media channels and email marketing campaigns. A new group or artist will be featured the first Friday of every month, and guests will be able to download the artist’s music and interviews directly to their phones by scanning in-store QR codes.

    The first three “H-Listed” artists, the Parlotones, Big Harp, and Feathers, will perform at the Houlihan’s sponsored Artist Showcase during The South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and Festival on Friday, March 16, 2012. The Houlihan’s Artist Showcase will be held at the Speakeasy in Austin, TX and all performances will be filmed by PlayNetwork and made available on www.Houlihans.com/music beginning March 30, 2012.

    “Music plays such an important role in our lives, and sharing music has become a way to connect with others in a meaningful way,” said Jen Gulvik, VP of Marketing and Creative Director for Houlihan’s. “Music triggers memories, it energizes, it shapes perceptions and identities for people and brands alike. H-Listed allows us to share our own musical discoveries with our guests, while providing immense exposure for lesser-known artists who don’t have the financial backing of major record labels.”

    Starting March 9, 2012, artists who would like to be considered for “H-Listed” can apply online at www.Houlihans.com/music. Talent is chosen based on the synergy between the artist’s style and Houlihan’s in-restaurant music mix.

    Throughout the years, Houlihan’s has passionately supported independent artists, along with music education through fundraising for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, an organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America’s public schools. Over the last four years, Houlihan’s Restaurants has donated more than $168,000 for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, which equates to fully restoring five music education programs and impacting the lives of more than 3,300 students.

    More information about Houlihan’s sponsored Artist Showcase and how to get “H-Listed” can be found at www.Houlihans.com/music

  • BrandCinema Seeks Partners At SXSW 2012

    BrandCinema Seeks Partners At SXSW 2012

    BrandCinema is a new digital development and production company that seeks to create partnerships and collaboration between story writers, online sponsors, and digital agencies. They come to South by Southwest (SXSW) 2012 with a variety of new shows featuring some of the most prominent screen writers in the digital domain today including Tina Cesa Ward, Daryn Strauss and Andrew Leitch.

    At SXSW they are hoping to find new sponsorship and new platforms to carry their content. They have yet to introduce an array of strategies they have devised to promote their forthcoming creative works. What BrandCinema hopes to create is strong story influenced worlds that encompass the entire experience from advertising to every other element along the way.

    Here’s what BrandCinema already has in the works:

    WEIGHT – a smart dramedy about Claire Carlson, who returns home from a reality weight-loss show 100 pounds lighter, to find family life is sometimes excess baggage. by Daryn Strauss

    EXTENDED LEASE – Four estranged cousins inherit their grandparents’ large old country house outside of New York City with the stipulation they spend time living together as a family, causing some changes to their individual city lives. by Tina Cesa Ward

    THE RUNNER – Money is the most dangerous sport in this dramatic series exposing the dark machine of building sports empires. Friday Night Lights crashes into The Wire as we follow the wild and shady exploits of DSM, a top sports agency looking to corner the nation’s best collegiate athletes. by The Raven Film Company.

    MONTAUK BOYS – a sci-fi drama about love and friendship – complicated by the small matter of time. Inspired by legends of 1950s time travel experiments out of Camp Hero at the Long Island coastal town. by Andrew Leitch and Alexandra Tolk.

    You can find BrandCinema at this years SXSW festival in Austin, Texas or you can visit their site to learn more. The digital development company chose to announce their launch at SXSW because of the exposure the festival brings.

    BrandCinema co-founder Jennifer Warren commented on the decision:

    “We decided to announce our launch at SXSW because it’s the perfect place to marry brand interaction with creativity,”

  • SXSW 2012 Agenda For Electronic Frontier Foundation

    The Electronic Frontier Foundation team will be at SXSW 2012, of course. They have announced the panels their members will be appearing on at the Austin festival this weekend.

    From the EFF blog:

    EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry will be joining a panel entitled “Fighting for Your Users Without Becoming a Target.” The four-person panel—targeted at online service providers (OSPs)—will tackle the question of how OSPs can earn users’ loyalty and fight for their rights while avoiding legal pitfalls. Saturday, March 10, 3:30-4:30pm, Omni Downtown (Capital Ballroom).

    Legal director Cindy Cohn will be debating Colette Vogle on a topic that’s been on our minds a lot this past year: whether or not social sites like Facebook and Google+ should allow anonymous users. Saturday, March 10, 11:00am-12:00pm, Omni Downtown (Longhorn).

    Cindy will also be moderating a panel on the emerging phenomenon of online review sites for medical professionals. Her panel will explore the legal rules that affect this new space, the ethical obligations of healthcare providers, and the innovative practices being developed in response. Sunday, March 11, 3:30-4:30pm, AT&T Conference Hotel (Classroom 204).

    EFF Activist Eva Galperin, along with Twitter’s John Adams, will be discussing the hot topic of security and privacy on social networks. The discussion—also geared toward technology companies—will tackle best practices for protecting both one’s company and users. Sunday, March 11, 5:00-6:00pm, Omni Downtown (Lone Star).

    Building on our ample work in this space, two EFF staffers will join a panel entitled “When Copyright Trolls Attack!” Activist Parker Higgins and IP Attorney Mitch Stoltz will bring EFF’s expertise on the subject to the discussion of this growing phenomenon. Saturday, March 10, 9:30-10:30am, Sheraton Austin (Capitol EFGH).

    EFF’s Director for International Freedom of Expression will speak on a panel targeted at OSPs entitled “How to Run a Social Site and Not Get Users Killed.” Including, among others, EFF alum and current Internet Advocacy Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists Danny O’Brien, the panel will cover a range of issues related to user safety on social networks. Sunday, March 11, 12:30-1:30pm, AT&T Conference Hotel (Salon D).

    Julie Samuels, an EFF Staff Attorney, will be discussing software patents. Julie’s work on patent trolls has been widely cited over the past year and will round out the panel as she discusses an emerging trend of suing startups over patents. Tuesday, March 13, 11:00am-12:00pm, Hilton Austin Downtown (Salon C). In addition, Julie has joined a panel entitled “Getting Off the SOPA Box,” discussing, amongst other things, why the activism around SOPA and PIPA was so successful.

    Bonus: Julie will also be sticking around for SXSW Music this year to talk about strategies for using free content to promote and maximize the benefits of alternative revenue streams on a panel entitled “Set Your Content Free (It’s Harder Than You Think)”.

  • SXSW: Mulu Announces Version 2 At SXSWi

    Mulu, the community-centric Pinterest-esque personal shopping assistant website, announced today that it will be launching Version 2 of their site during SXSW. For those uninitiated with the website, Mulu merges shopping with sharing by allowing users to pin potential purchases they come on the internet. Some of the purchases made through Mulu pages result in contributions toward charities affiliated with that page. To date, the company has partnered with 50 charities and 50 “taste-makers” in fashion, music, sports, film and lifestyle. Those organizations, including ASPCA, amFAR, Livestrong, CharityWater, Girl Up and Rock the Vote to name a few, are Mulu’s core causes that users will be able to choose to support.

    While Mulu launched into beta this past January, Version 2 showcases a new and improved stream, cached images for faster loading, and a cropping tool. Also introduced for V2 is Facebook Connect, which allows users to log-in through Facebook and share picks with friends on their activity feed and timeline. V2 features accounting transparency infrastructure, which allows users to immediately see whether a website will earn for their cause with a check mark in the tool bar.

    Further, Mulu users have the ability to ask and answer questions with product recommendations by pulling the image and product page from anywhere online. Users can pose questions to be answered by the community such as “Camping in Yosemite for the first time, What gear do I need?” Answers will then be provided from the community, buy the product, and send a little money toward their charity of choice as they go.

    It doesn’t hurt that, on the way to their Version 2 launch, they’ve acquired some pretty high-profile members such as Jonathan Franzen and Michael Kors.

    If you’re attending SXSW, the announcement for Mulu’s next phase will be happening during a dinner at SXSW Interactive, the tech-geek corner of the festival.

  • SXSW 2012 Three-Minute Update Video Released

    SXSW 2012 Three-Minute Update Video Released

    SXSW 2012 released a new “Three-Minute Update” yesterday. There are great tips for getting into movies at the festival, even if you don’t have a Film badge, news on the live streaming of Bruce Springsteen’s keynote, and how where to find out about all the events happening and streaming.

    There are more than 5,000 events at SXSW 2012. The SXSW GO app is highlighted, as well as a good rundown on how to keep up with the inevitable lineup and schedule adjustments.

  • SXSW 2012 To Be Documented By Shutterstock

    SXSW 2012 To Be Documented By Shutterstock

    A stock photo company is running a presentation of photos gathered from SXSW 2012.

    Shutterstock Images started a guerrilla marketing campaign to document the events, fashions, and energy of SXSW Interactive, the annual technology festival in Austin, Texas. The program runs from March 9 through 13 and includes on-the-ground photographers, a mobile photo booth, a massive wall projection and a live stream to the company’s Facebook page.

    “Austin Translation” kicks off on Friday, March 9, with the activation of 5 hand-selected, on-scene photographers, John Pesina, Kenneth Man, Galina Stepanova, Gus Yeung and Ricardo Garza. They will be documenting everything from conference panels to food trucks to landscapes, capturing the real Austin, and streaming their photos live to a curation team. Shutterstock has also invited attendees to be a part of the story by tweeting their photos to @Shutterstock with the hashtag #SXSWpix.

    Additionally, the Shutterstock mobile photo booth, will park outside the hottest parties each night, providing attendees with their own mini photo-shoots. Festivalgoers can find the 1983 Volkswagen Westfalia on Foursquare, or by following Shutterstock on Twitter. These photos, along with those tweeted in and shot by on site photographers, will all be projected nightly from 7pm CT to 1am CT, onto a 6-story wall projection on the corner of 5th Street and Colorado, in Downtown Austin. The feed will also be available to viewers worldwide via Shutterstock’s Facebook page.

    “SXSW hosts some of the most imaginative, intelligent, and entrepreneurial people in the tech and creative industries,” said Shutterstock CEO Jon Oringer. “To be immersed in such an energetic and collaborative environment is truly exciting for us.”

  • Two SXSW 2012 Entrepreneurs Pitch To Help Others

    Two SXSW 2012 Entrepreneurs Pitch To Help Others

    On one of the StartUp Buses headed to SXSW 2012, this bumpy video was shot by Thomas Mulready from CoolCleveland.com. This video was uploaded 5 hours ago. The bus is probably still on the road. The bus is loaded with people with ideas they hope to pitch, contacts they hope to make. The next Zuckerberg could be right in one of those seats.

    The two young people highlighted in this video are looking to do something different. It seems like every idea out there is bent on getting money or information out of people. Share more about yourself. Help us market to you. These two want to give back.

    Tara Sturm (@akronwriter) from Cleveland State University wants to build a web and mobile app that helps consumers make decisions about the local impact of their purchases. It would help keep money local.

    Nick Tippman from Bloomington, Indiana wants to build a way to crowdfund donations to causes, individuals who need help, etc. You would be able to check up on how your funding made people’s lives better.

    As Mulready points out, there are three main aspects to a pitch.

  • What is it?
  • Who does it address?
  • How does it make money?

    • Notions about monetizing any idea is necessary in our culture if it is to attract investors. Trouble is sometimes the minds that are best-suited for the creative activity to come up with need-filling (or need-creating) apps are not the same minds that know how to monetize. The other problem is, not all things that should be done are to be done for profit. Sometimes we should just take care of people.

    I hope these two find someone to partner with them and get their ideas launched.

  • What Is SXSW 2012? [Video Tutorial]

    What Is SXSW 2012? [Video Tutorial]

    The gentlemen from the National Film Society took time out of their otherwise busy schedule to step in front of the video camera and explain the basics of SXSW.

    You could read the Wikipedia article on SXSW.

    You could visit the official site.

    You could follow the #SXSW hashtag on Twitter.

    And, you should do all of these things. But, first, you should watch this video from the National Film Society.

  • SXSW 2012 Survival Guide by Austin Locals [Video]

    SXSW 2012 Survival Guide by Austin Locals [Video]

    The guys at Flow Nonfiction sat down to discuss the local Austin scene, recommend restaurants, debate local beers, and even tell you how to recover from all the restaurants and beer. Local watering holes, and literal local watering holes were discussed. Lots of tips. An incredible amount of tips. How to get around town? (Hint: rent a bike.)

  • Groupon Itinerary for SXSW 2012 Released

    Daily deal giant, Groupon, announced their SXSW itinerary today. They also established a specific SXSW Twitter presence with the @GrouponSXSW handle. They will be there March 9-13.

    Groupon blogged to specifically announce these events:

    Tech Career Expo: Normally one would expect to find talent on the stage when visiting the iconic Austin Music Hall. But on March 9-10 the tables will be turned. This talent show is about you and your future. And it’s looking pretty bright if you’re on the cutting edge of the tech industry. More than 60 companies will be tapping SXSW’s international talent pool this year at the first Tech Career Expo at SXSW. The event is open to SXSW attendees and non-attendees alike. You can follow our recruiting team on Twitter @grouponjobs.

    Monday, March 12th: Don Chennavasin, Director of Product Management, will speak at: Taming the Market in your Pocket. As mobile purchasing becomes increasingly prevalent, online marketplaces need to offer apps that help both buyers and sellers. Panelists will debate the benefits to having apps that are all-in-one versus apps that are user-specific. Additionally they will discuss development strategy for webapps, native apps and dueling platforms.

    Monday, March 12th: Iryna Newman, Mobile Marketing Manager at Groupon lends her voice to: In-App Mobile Ad Implementation Changes. This session will cover the evolution of the in-app advertising ecosystem, as well as highlight the current issues with implementing a rich media campaign. Finally, it will offer solutions, including an open-code SDK and other initiatives that are currently in progress.

    Tuesday, March 13th: G-Team’s Patty Huber (@patty360) returns to SXSW for the panel: Boost Fundraising and Engagement with “Gamification”. From Farmville and Mafia Wars to Foursquare and Gowalla, gamification has spread like wild fire in recent years – Daily deal platforms are incenting you with group-buying, credit card companies are rewarding you with cash back, and airlines are offering you free flights for miles/points. But did you know that nonprofits have been using gaming tactics for years? We’ll show you real world examples of “gamified” fundraising initiatives, simple gaming tactics that have been proven to work, and how to take advantage of gamification at your organization.

  • SXSW 2012: Experience Austin Like a Local

    SXSW 2012: Experience Austin Like a Local

    Eloqua is giving people that are attending South By Southwest (SXSW) the chance to experience Austin like a local. The company is holding a sweepstakes with prize packs that have something for every kind of SXSW fan — music lovers, film buffs and tech geeks.

    Eloqua’s “Experience Austin Like a Local” sweepstakes is intended to give people a truly local SXSW. Those who enter select whether they want to win The Techpreneur, The Filmnatic or The Musicinado prize pack. Also, anyone — even if they can’t make it SXSW — gets a shot at winning the grand prize of Austin goodies: a $250 voucher at the San Jose Hotel, $100 to spend at the Texas Chili Parlor and tickets for two at Esther’s Follies.

    The company along with partner Bulldog Solutions is also giving SXSW Interactive attendees a chance to party like a local with a Happy Hour event at Club Deville right in downtown Austin. (RSVP for free here.)

    Eloqua will also feature at two SXSW Interactive panel sessions. Joe Chernov, Eloqua’s Vice President of Content Marketing, will join a panel of experts from The Next Web, JESS3 and Unified for the “State of Social Marketing” session on Sunday, March 11. Eloqua’s Corporate Reporter, Jesse Noyes, will sit on a panel with experts from Twitter, MarketingProfs and Contently at the “Brand Journalism in the Real World” event on Monday, March 12.

  • SXSW 2012 Features iCrossing Reps

    Digital marketing agency iCrossing is present at SXSW 2012.

    Gabriela Lazzaro, senior audience manager of iCrossing’s Live Media Studio, will participate in a panel, Stand with Planned Parenthood: A Crisis Response on Sunday, March 11, at 9:30 a.m. The panel will examine the strategy behind last year’s successful “Stand With Planned Parenthood” advocacy and support campaign.

    Rob Garner, iCrossing vice president of strategy, will appear on Sunday, March 11, at 3:30 p.m., to tackle Dot.wtf?top.level.domain.names.will.change.the.web. Garner will discuss how of dot-brands – also known as gTLDs – affect the way CMOs can build connected brands.

    Todd Pruzan, Live Media Studio editorial director, host a panel, Let’s Get Lost: Surprise and the Social Media Age on Tuesday, March 13, at 3:30 p.m. Todd will explore whether social media can provide authentically random experiences that inspire discovery of new ideas.

    Tarah Feinberg, head of iCrossing Live Media Studio will be heading a panel at Interactive on Sunday, March 12 at 11:00 a.m. called Are We Killing Social With Social?. The interactive session will explore why people adopt new social networks and work with the SXSW crowd to create a collective manifesto about how to put the “social” back into “social networking.”

    The panel will address “social media fatigue” and interact with the audience to discuss how people are not relating to each other, in spite of the overwhelming prevalence of “social media”.

  • SXSW 2012 Darling App “Highlig.ht” Facebook-Only Login Is a Deal-Breaker

    One of today’s hot topics at SXSW is “ambient social networking”. And the charge in that area is led by the new location-based social app Highlig.ht. Here is what Highlight tells us about their product:

    Highlight is a fun, simple way to learn more about the people around you.

    If someone standing near you also has Highlight, their profile will show up on your phone. You can see their name, photos of them, mutual friends, and anything else they have chosen to share. When you meet someone, Highlight helps you see what you have in common with them. And when you forget their name at a party a week later, Highlight can help you remember it.
    As you go about your day, Highlight runs quietly in the background, surfacing information about the people around you. If your friends are nearby, it will notify you. If someone interesting crosses your path, it will tell you more about them.

    Highlight gives you a sixth sense about the world around you, showing you hidden connections and making your day more fun.

    The point of highlight is to connect people, not just by location, but by interests. Highlight connects with your Facebook account. There is currently no other option to sign in to Highlight but via Facebook. The developers say this is necessary for three reasons (quote from the app itself):

    1) It makes it super fast to sign up and create a Highlight profile.

    2) It allows you to see what friends you have in common with other Highlight users.

    3) It helps ensure that people are using their real identities.

    Allow me to insert an opinion here. If your product has no other way to login but via Facebook, you need to call your product what it is: a Facebook app. I do not allow access to my Facebook wall, info or posts. That is mine. If I have to allow you to do what you like in my Facebook account in order to use your product, forget it. I managed to get a Pinterest invite in the days when you could just use a login name. Otherwise, no Pinterest for me. Call me a Luddite. I am not a sharer, I am not a consumer. Until Highlig.ht goes to open login with much more control over who I am interacting with, they can keep it. I deleted the app.

    Here is what others are saying about Highlight.

    @softwareverify
    Stephen Kellett    For horrible logos, try http://t.co/AWxWz0cH 2 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @sehwagology
    Sunny    http://t.co/STDiRNV6 because stalking people on Facebook is just not cutting it anymore. 4 hours ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @lstigerts
    Lauren Hall-Stigerts    I’d like to try http://t.co/6iX2LoX3 but every tweet I see about it are complaints that it bombards you with notifications. I’ll, um, wait. 14 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @BrianNorgard
    Brian Norgard    .@Highlight will absolutely explode at SxSW b/c it’s an ego boost & dopamine rush to get a push notification—it’s chemical people! 11 hours ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @katiemoffat
    katie moffat    I really wish that @glanceeapp and @highlight weren’t using Facebook login. 1 hour ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • iPad Screencasting Software Doceri at SXSW 2012

    iPad Screencasting Software Doceri at SXSW 2012

    SP Controls is readying the second generation of its popular Doceri iPad-based whiteboard and presentation software for release this spring and will unveil a sneak preview at this week’s South By Southwest (SXSW) LAUNCHedu event.

    The new Doceri software will include sophisticated screencasting with easy editing and audio voice over, enabling educators to publish their instruction materials to the Web in addition to creating and presenting hand drawn lessons live in the classroom.

    Availability of the Doceri update is expected within the next 30 days. The Doceri Remote iPad app will remain free in the iTunes store,and will no longer require an active WIFI connection to Doceri Desktop. The update will also be free to registered users of both the paid and free trial versions of Doceri Desktop, which provides access to all pedagogical resources on the desktop or in the cloud, as well as expanded storage for Doceri live drawings and videos.

    Doceri is one of just six technology solutions for higher education chosen to participate in the March 7, 2012 SXSW LAUNCHedu event. Participating companies will present their solutions to a jury consisting of panelists from education, entrepreneurship and venture capital. The panel will choose three finalists, one of which will be named the winner of the SXSW LAUNCHedu event.

    Since its original release last year, Doceri has been adopted by teachers at all levels from K-12 to higher education, who recognize the iPad as the answer to interacting more with their students and less with their lesson presentation materials. Doceri offers teachers a natural interface to create, edit, save and replay hand-drawn lessons and presentations right on the iPad using their finger, a standard stylus or the accompanying Doceri GoodPoint intelligent stylus. In addition, Doceri provides remote access and wireless control over presentations or any software running on the instructor’s Mac or Windows PC, allowing annotation over presentations, JPEGs, PDFs and even live Web pages.

    “Doceri allows me to present a lesson from anywhere in the classroom; a big plus when trying to manage 32+ middle school students,” says Anne Whitman, 7th grade math teacher at Oakdale Jr. High in California. “To actually see what I am writing and replay it while facing my students with my back to the board is amazing! I can work out equations ahead of time or live in front of the students.”

    The popularity of the Kahn Academy educational video library has moved the concept of the flipped classroom to the forefront of educational technology discussion over the past year. The resulting paradigm shift moves direct learning from the classroom to the student’s computer – outside of class – via videos that cover the basic lesson material. This flipped classroom model frees the instructor to use class time for project-based learning and meaningful interaction about the material.

    While instructors in higher education as well as at the K-12 level are using standard videos made available by Kahn and others, there is an increasing desire among instructors to create their own video screencasts – also called vodcasts – for use by their students and shared by other faculty.

    The new version of Doceri will allow recording of audio and video simultaneously like basic apps on the market. However, this “one shot” approach can be challenging when the goal is to provide a quality video-based lesson. Doceri’s sophisticated authoring and editing tools also allow for multiple authors and unlimited editing before a final audio overlay is recorded.
    This opens a wealth of options to instructors for including creating and sharing or monetizing lesson videos on YouTube, on private Web sites, on Learning Mangement System such as Moodle or Blackboard, or in iBooks.

  • SXSW 2012 Using Spredfast

    Austin’s 2012 South By Southwest Interactive Festival has selected local startup Spredfast to manage all of its social media during the event taking place between March 9-13. With Spredfast, SXSW will be able to monitor, coordinate, engage and log social media surrounding the event, and the startup also plans to host a lounge, meet-up and Airstream photo booth.

    Jim Rudden, CMO of Spredfast, had this to say on the festival events – “SXSW brings the world’s brightest tech enthusiasts to our backyard. As a member of this massively connected community, we know that social media will be the primary channel for people to get and share information – no matter whether they are here in Austin or around the world. As an Austin-based company, we’re proud to partner with the festival to provide them the ability to not only manage their social media presence but also monitor and analyze the online conversations about the festival.”

    spredfast logo

    Spredfast’s SXSW Interactive activities include:

    Spredfast Social Spot: A media lounge located literally blocks from the convention center with a relaxed atmosphere for bloggers and social media pros to relax, catch up on work and mingle with peers over snacks and a drink. March 9-13, 10am – 4pm, 322 Congress Ave. Austin TX, 78701

    “Netflix and Twitter: What’s Under the Hood” Panel Discussion: Spredfast Chief Technology Officer, Keith Zoellner, will be speaking on a panel discussing the changes and challenges arising from cloud computing and the need to quickly leverage ‘big data’. Saturday, March 10, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

    Social CRM Meet-Up: Spredfast CEO, Rod Favaron, will host social CRM industry experts for an hour of brainstorming, idea-building and networking. Sunday, March 11, 11 am – Noon

    Spreadfast Airstream Photo booth: Attendees can snap a photo of their SXSW experience in a 1967 vintage Airstream photo booth which will be traveling around the festival

    Spredfast executives will also be present to demonstrate a new Facebook tab builder, which allows Facebookers to expand their online presence, and gain Social Advantage.

    The 2012 South By Southwest Music Festival will feature 500 bands.

  • SXSW Gets Cher Lloyd And Swagger Jagger

    SXSW Gets Cher Lloyd And Swagger Jagger

    If you will be attending any events at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival than you will probably want to see X-Factor sensation Cher Lloyd on the 17th of March. Known for her charismatic vocals and #1 UK hit, Swagger Jagger, she’s getting ready to take the U.S. by storm.

    The festival kicks-off today in Austin, Texas and features a variety of events and performances. The show with Cher Lloyd won’t happen until the 17th, but the announcement has got some fans getting pretty excited. Let’s see what they are saying on Twitter:

    So there you have it, people are getting all wound up about the Cher Lloyd performance. If you’re interested you bet get on buying some tickets, if the event isn’t sold out already. Have fun!

  • “Workaholics” to Host Free House Party at SXSW

    Workaholics stars Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm, and director Kyle Newcheck will perform as The Wizards at Icenhausers on Friday, March 16 during SXSW. Following the performance Workaholics invites fans to hang out, party, listen to live music, play games, and interact one-on-one with the stars of the show. The house is located at 83 Rainey Street and is open from 1:00 pm to 2:00 am. This event is open to the public and a SXSW badge is not required to gain entry.

    Workaholics New Episodes May 2012
    Best of 2011
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    The Workaholics House will host an outdoor stage with on-going live musical performances by bands including: Reptar, Youngblood Hawke, Party Supplies, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Cool Kids, Statik Selektah, Trash Talk and the Wavves, among others. There will also be a special performance by the stars of “Workaholics” as they transform into their gangster rap group, The Wizards. Fans will receive t-shirts and other product give-aways.

    Workaholics New Episodes May 2012
    The Ders
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    From the minds of the hilarious and irreverent Internet sketch group Mail Order Comedy, “Workaholics” is a single camera comedy featuring three friends who work together as telemarketers from 9 to 5 and live together from 5 to 9. Dress codes, deadlines and waking up before noon are not things these guys are used to. They do their jobs and sometimes they even do them well, but they show up late, leave drunk and always live for the day…even if they don’t know what day it is. The third season of “Workaholics” debuts on May 29 at 10:30 p.m.

    Workaholics New Episodes May 2012
    Adam Sings
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    “Workaholics” is co-created by Mail Order Comedy’s Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Kyle Newacheck and 5th Year’s Dominic Russo and Connor Pritchard. The series stars Anderson, Devine and Holm and is directed by Newacheck. The Third Season of “Workaholics” Premieres May 29 at 10:30 p.m.