SXSW 2010 Registration Kicks off

Can it be here so soon? Why yes, yes it can! Registration for SXSW 2010 officially launches Monday, August 3rd -- get your registration in now for the best hotel choices. :-D

Attendance at the SXSW Interactive portion of the conference has continued to increase each year by leaps and bounds. They seem to continue to attract A+ folks to speak in both their Keynotes and Panels. Last year the Guy Kawasaki and Chris Anderson keynote was pretty interesting and 2008 was all abuzz with the Mark Zuckerberg interview by Sarah Lacey.

Overall, the thing I enjoy the most are the connections I make during SXSW. It is truly an amazing networking event -- with a tad* bit of entertainment thrown in for good measure.

I've been to every SXSW conference since 2003, so if I can answer any questions for you, feel free to send them my way.

*Note: YMMV :)

Fake it till you believe it

"Fake it till you believe it" is something the marketing director at my former employer is known to have said on occasion. Really the idea is that no matter your frame of mind, if you 'fake' it, then ultimately you'll start to believe it and actually feel differently about the situation. And certainly that sentiment rings true now that a job search is at my doorstep. Putting yourself in the right frame of mind for a job search in this economy can feel a lot like a 'Fake it till you believe it' moment. You have to believe that you are a superstar and radiate that confidence in how you approach new opportunities (notice I said confidence, not arrogance!).

On to lighter fare... I read my Horoscope every once in a while for entertainment. Read today's offering for Tarot.com (I'm a Capricorn BTW):

It's healthy for you to reestablish yourself today, especially if the ground recently shook beneath your feet. Although you're most comfortable when you know where you are and where you are heading, you might not have that luxury now. Although you are regaining stability, you may not want the same things you once did. Give yourself time to set different goals before you try to figure out your new course.

Hopefully that means good things are on the horizon. :)

Water Scofflaws Beware!

Really ... what a great word... scofflaws.

I can tell you that right now my yard is a virtual dustbowl, after more than 30 days of 100+ degree heat and record-breaking lack of rain. In what has to be the worst drought we've had in 100 years, cities around Texas are encouraging residents to report on illegal watering.

So Texans, here's a recipe for baking cookies on the dashboard of your car. Enjoy!

Exits and Moving On..

This week QuickArrow announced their acquisition by NetSuite, bringing this chapter in my work experience to a close. QuickArrow, an Austin Ventures portfolio company, survived when the tech bubble burst in Austin in 2001 and was back on a track and poised for growth when I joined in 2005. Being part of a start-up that grew up and ultimately achieved an 'exit' is certainly something I'm proud to have been a part of, but that feeling of success is mingled with a certain amount of sadness.

Someone said it feels like the last day of school or that there should be a year-book for us all to sign. I know what they mean. Being a part of a small company meant wearing a ton of hats, always pitching in and having a feeling that I was really making an impact every day. Of course, the people I worked with were a huge part of what I loved about being there every day. From Wii Bowling Tournaments to setting off the building fire alarm on Halloween (someone brought a 'fog machine') -- I'll have lot's of great memories to take with me.

While I'll miss my co-workers in the days ahead, I'm excited to turn the corner and see what is in store for me now. I'm ready for a new challenge and a fresh opportunity to help another company achieve the same kind of success and growth that I did at QuickArrow.

Top Notch - An Austin Institution

There are certainly plenty of places that Austin locals think of when they think of places that have been around ... well... forever. For me, one of those is Top Notch on Burnet Rd. This old-school drive-in has changed it's decor very little since it opened in 1961, and has been featured in movies from Dazed & Confused to Varsity Blues -- but that's not why I go.

Classic, simple menu featuring char-grilled burgers and fried chicken that will make you want to slap-yo-mama, this place is the real deal. In my household, the favorite is the 'Longhorn special' -- a two-patty burger with 1000 island dressing -- that must have been an answer to the 'Big Mac' when it was put on the menu.

So, if you're feeling nostalgic or want to have a truly classic Austin experience, then I highly recommend.

Photo credit: auslunch.com

SXSW Panel Picker - Voting Coming Soon!

Get your engines ready for the SXSW Panel Picker Voting process, starting on August 10, 2009. Want to go to SXSW this year? Want to have a say in the panels they put on the list? Then VOTE!

AgileAustin Workshop: Rapid Requirements

First, let me begin by saying how incredibly blessed we are to have such an active, talented and passionate groups of folks in the Agile community here in Austin.

In the interest of giving back, let me share some information about the AgileAustin Workshop: Rapid Requirements, led by Scott Killen. The session was about 2 hours long and after a brief overview of the process, we dove right in. Actually going through the exercise was a great way to communicate the process and how it works, and it made the time fly by. In a real-world setting, I've tried versions of this requirements elicitation exercise, but I love these types of workshops because I always seem to pick up a nuance or detail that I didn't consider before.

Here are few high-level concepts from the session (see my link below to full notes if you are interested).

This process is great for brainstorming & group collaboration, although it might not be ideal for large groups (over 20) and remote teams.

The main steps to Rapid Requirements process are:
1. Familiarize - let everyone know the goal of the session and the main topic at hand
2. Itemize - have everyone write down the top 3-5 requirements or issues that come to mind (on post-it notes)
3. Review - collect the stickies, reading out the issues identified to the group, and place them all around the room
4. Associate - have everyone get up and begin grouping similar issues together
5. Categorize - review sets of issues and determine which 'Category' best describes those items
6. Clarify - ask the group about unclear issues and/or ask the contributor to explain
7. Prioritize - have everyone go back to their categories and hard rank the items
8. Top 3 Review - review the top 3 from each category with the group
9. Vote - give each group member small dots or stars and ask them to 'vote' for ANY item(s) they feel are very important

Some notes here: Any 'step' can be performed at any time, but you should continue to move the group ahead. For example, in the 'Review' step, the group might identify additional items, that's fine. Finally, after you Vote, do not re-order the items in the category. Leave them in place and collect the stickies in order. The Product Owner will need to sort that out later.

AgileAustin Workshop Rapid Requirements
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