On multiple accounts dwellers of the off-line world have inquired about my “Blogging”. The conversations are all very similar and awkward… almost always ending with something similar to “aren’t you afraid to give your ideas away like that?”.

Maggie Mason and Heather Armstrong said it best in their SXSW panel “You get what you give”. Perhaps some see it as the “secret” but I think it just makes sense, the internet is an ecosystem, a two-way street and it works best when you participate going in every direction.

Giving surfaced as a clear theme throughout the panels at this year’s SXSW. Jim Coudal showed a clip from their Video Wall, touched on Swap Meat (which I hope to muster up the time to try and post about) and Layer Tennis, an online forum that they sponsor to match-up designers against each other for Photoshop debauchery. All of these sites serve as vehicles for giving and taking in the creative community.

Moby very candidly explained MobyGratis, a site where he gives away free music to independent film makers. I learned that it is a real pain in the ass to license music if you make a film, and he hopes to relieve some of that stress where he can. While I didn’t know much about Moby before SXSW, I am now a big fan of him (as a person)… completely uninhibited to put himself out there.

Heather Armstrong gives the most personal experiences of her life to her online community, from recounting getting fired from her job to blogging while at the Hospital suffering from postpartum depression. Heather explained that sharing the most intimate parts of her life has brought her support from well-wishers and notoriety that allows her to modestly support her family from online advertising. Winning several well-deserved bloggies and being considered the 5th most powerful blog in the world by some, Heather has earned it by giving.

I asked a developer once why he used open source software and he said “because it is free”. That guy did not get it. The web is making sharing easier than ever. Leverage it, embrace it, and give.

Check out all of my pics from SXSW 2008 here.

I am in Austin enjoying my third day at my third SXSW, and it turning out to be an awesome trip. The inspiration and motivation is abundant, panels packed with stories of innovation through creativity. Its hard to resist the contagious passion.

Last night a friend from my first trip to Austin made an interesting reference; while I can not recall his exact words, he eluded to all of the “rockstars” at the event. A word that is becoming increasingly overused in Web 2.0 community, it accuratey describes everyone at this conference…SXSW is packed full of “rockstars”. Those who travel to the lone-star state share an insatiable curiosity; something that Jason Fried mentioned that he looks for in new recruits for the 37 Signals team. Curiosity really sets people here apart… they know they need to seek the unkown and that there are bigger things worth exploring. I can’t turn around without bumping into a rockstar and striking up intriguing conversation about their journey of curiosity that brought them here.

One piece of advice I can give to a SXSW newbie is: call a cab, and talk to your driver. Austin has the most interesting cab drivers I have ever met, and they always manage to give me the most insightful look into the culture of the city. My first year here I met Rosie, who possibley was Janis Joplin resurrected from the dead. With a raspy texan accent she told me stories of escorting the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Willie Nelson to down-home destinations. This year, while I did not get his name, our driver from Chuys serenaded us with a song he made up as he went singing “jolly ride, jolly ride” as we crossed the river into downtown Austin.

There is still more time here at SXSW and I look forward to the people I still have left to meet, the stories to be heard, and lessons to be learned . If you are at the conference and see me, say hello. If your not at the conference take a look at my photos on my flickr account to check out what I have captured on my iphone.

This past Friday, Viget Labs hosted DC Design Talks, the first of a conference series called DC Talks that promote collaboration and creativity in the web community. Jason Garber and M. Jackson Wilkinson did a fabulous job of organizing the event. Ninety plus people showed up all interested in learning about design. I was stoked to be a part of it, and also pretty freaking nervous because I was scheduled to give the first talk of the day at 9:15 am.
I wrote a short recap from my point of view on the Viget Four Labs Blog. So check that out if you want my POV… but rather than having a one sided recap of the event on my blog I wanted to get the perspectives of others attending the event. In a 5 Part series I give you DC Design Talks… from someone else’s perspective (for a change). Enjoy!