Huffington Post Article on SXSW

SXSW Comes Out: The Annual Conference Gets More Gay Friendly
Jamie Wetherbe
Web Editor at the “Los Angeles Times Community News”

As SXSW Interactive came to a close, critics said the conference has turned bloated and irrelevant. The tech was gone — at least the truly innovative tech — replaced by Sobe cocktails and Zone bars. And less access to panels and parties — at least the really good ones — kept techies from doing what we like most, networking while drinking for free. (Check out Jolie O’Dell post “Why SXSW Sucks”)

No doubt that SXSWi has grown: Word is more than 12,000 people attended the Interactive portion with the number of badge-holders surpassing the Music side. As a SXSWi newbie, I was also irrelevant, spending much of my time waiting in lines: for panels, events and pricey coffees served in sad, small cups.

For better or for worse, SXSWi has become mainstream (Chevy and Monster Energy both had booths), but on the plus side, more minorities were added to the mix. Overall, I’d have to say that this year’s SXSW, held March 12 to 21 in Austin, Texas, was pretty, well, gay.

–Read the rest

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