After a brief pity party that I must follow from afar and not in person, I spent most of the weekend glued to the Twitter feeds of my many friends at South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, TX.

I’m continually falling in love with the approach to this gathering of media minds. Instead of a bunch of shiny objects unveiled to the masses, it’s a practical feedback machine.

While there are plenty of computer nerds in the bunch, I view the attendees more as social engineers – putting just as much emphasis on the social interaction as the technical framework that makes it possible.

Of course – this is all an outsider’s perspective. If you actually attended SXSW – feel free to leave a comment if I’m off base here.

After days of consuming SXSW coverage via news articles, blog posts, tweets, Foursquare check-ins and Facebook updates – it seems like the buzz this year can be boiled down to location.

More specifically – geolocation.

Foursquare made its big debut at SXSW in 2009, and marked its one year anniversary with about half a million users and more than 300,000 checkins during a single day. The social locator seems to finally be catching on among the early adopters in the Cedar Valley. There were a few of us checking in at the CV Tweetup, but not quite enough for a Swarm badge. I’m still not totally sure how I feel about sharing my location – even with friends. But I’m trying to keep an open mind.

If you haven’t checked them out – Gowalla, Yelp and Loopt are going to offer some pretty decent competition for Foursquare. And the reigning online champs Facebook and Twitter are rumored to be joining the geolocation game soon.

Posted under Web/Tech

I’ll be honest – I had my concerns about a bunch of random people meeting to share some pizza and awkward conversation with Twitter as their only common bond.

But, the first ever Cedar Valley Tweetup was a success in my mind. And I don’t think I’m alone. The general consensus seemed to be in support of a follow-up. So, if you missed the inaugural event, you can always join in for the sequel which will probably be in April. I’ll post the details when they are finalized.

There were people that I already consider friends. People I had seen online but never met. People who worked for companies I know. I think we may have topped out around 20 people – which I think is a very good place to start.

I was very excited that Ron Steele and his wife Candy were able to come. I love them both as people, and their enthusiasm for new media. Candy tries to interview Ron and I…

There were definitely the nerdy moments of silence as we all checked in on Foursquare or posted our Twitpics, but it turns out that social networking and a geographic location was enough to keep the conversation going.

So a special thanks to Grant Schultz and Devin Range for organizing. And thanks for all the new followers and friends. See you next time!

Posted under My Adventures, Web/Tech

Super short notice – I know! But if you’re in the Cedarloo area, you should stop by the Tweetup tonight.

The Other Place on University at 6 p.m. There are specials for attendees! More here…

Be there!

Posted under Food and Drink, Web/Tech

The concept is simple. You pay someone to break up with your significant other over the phone. $10 for a basic break-up, $25 for an engagement and $50 for a divorce call. IDUMP4U uses some basic information to get the point across, records the call and puts it online.

The Globe and Mail claims the mastermind behind the anonymous parting of the ways is a Mount Pleasant, Iowa native.

If you find other people’s anger/pain amusing, there is plenty to feast on. Recordings are even separated into categories like Chicks, Cry, and Psycho.

I could barely stomach a single phone call. But the site claims more than just a money-making purpose.

“Studies have shown that 9 times out of 10, the typical “It’s not you, it’s me” approach can lead to a history of several more dumpings. Why not help the person you are dumping as well as helping yourself! Then you go away with not only a free life but also that sort of “Pay it Forward” type feeling that you can only get from Helen Hunt.” 
- IDUMP4U.com

Excluding the ups and downs of my elementary school romances, I have only been officially dumped once with the termination of a high school summer romance. I think that boy fully deserved to see my heart break in front of him before he ran after the pageant princess across town. And I’m pretty sure there was no global lesson to be learned from the experience.

There is a lot I could say about people who don’t have the guts to end their own relationships. But apparently, some people think otherwise.

Your thoughts?

Posted under Web/Tech