SXSW is not for me

By Dave Winer on 1/20/07; 7:47:45 AM.

Yeah Marc, SXSW is promotes certain people, and if they don't like you, there's no way in. This year they have some kind of fig leaf that allows them to deflect criticism, but I'm not going to run the gauntlet after years of being snubbed, damn I'm one of the founders of the industry they cover, and I've never been invited to speak. I know lots of people who have been asked, many of them are users of stuff I created (hey, modesty aside, they all are users of stuff I created). They ought to roll out the red carpet for guys like you and me Marc, but something is wrong there, so don't let it get to you man. I've asked, three times now, for an invite. That's enough. Fuck em.  

Aside: I remember listening to the podcast of their podcasting panel while I was still working on podcasting, thinking how it would have been cool if I could have told the people at SXSW where I saw it going (and ultimately where it did go). 

Google Trend map comparing Podcast vs SXSW.  

RSS plotted against SXSW is even more lopsided.  

Marc created Director and many other miracles. If it weren't for Director, you wouldn't be using Flash. Marc also gave me a lot of the ideas that made it into Manila, which was, in 1999, one of the first blogging tools, widely copied, not respected by the SXSW crowd, unfortunately. But that doesn't mean it's not respected. A couple of weeks ago, for example, Peter Rojas of Engadget told me his first blog was a Manila site. And Marc's vision for the People Aggregator is a good one, and different, and well worth listening to.  

Marc doesn't take himself too seriously, I think that's why a lot of people don't take his ideas seriously, but that's a mistake. It really hurts me personally to see such disrespect for a man who has given so much, and wants to give so much more. You all ought to send emails to Hugh Forrest saying if they don't show respect for Marc, then we won't show respect for SXSW. This is one place where you all can make a difference, so how about it.