Keeping content in the conversation at SXSW 2010. (image via splorp)

The SXSW festival, traditionally known as a showcase for music & film, has also become one of the most high profile Interactive conferences. Their call-for-papers and speaker selection process for the event starts almost as soon as the previous year’s conference is over, and it includes a public voting component called the Panel Picker.

That means that you, faithful Scatter/Gather readers, can help me earn the chance to represent our growing field of Content Strategy at this important conference. So, even if you aren’t sure if you’ll be going to SXSW next year, please consider voting for these panels that I’m involved with (registration is free and easy):

• Understanding Content: The Stuff We Design For – We design websites for users, but if we don’t also have a deep and thorough grasp of the content that will be served up to those users, we’re not going to be able to create optimal experiences for them. Learn how to do Content Research to augment your User Research. (solo presentation)
• Content & Semantics: The Wild, Wild Web of Data – Thanks to the Linked Data movement, the Semantic Web is poised to break wide, bringing a host of new design complexities and content strategy considerations to the table. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to start missing it up in the open data world. (dual presentation with Rahel Anne Bailie, Intentional Design Inc)
• Why Your Content Sucks and How to Fix It – So. How’s your content? Accurate? Up-to-date? Anything your audience actually cares about? Yeah. We didn’t think so. Most of the content online is crap. Your users deserve better! And you can help change the game. Find out how to fix your content (and to finagle the resources to do it). (panel I’ll be on, moderated by Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic)
• Let’s Talk About CS: Understanding Content Strategy – You’ve heard the term. Seen the twitters. Curious minds want to know: What’s web content strategy all about? And how is it different from what everyone’s been saying all these years? (Hint: You’re the choir. Let’s go forth and preach to the multitudes.) Leaders in the CS community speak candidly about the emergence of a new discipline. (Panel I’ll be on, organized by Elena Melendy, Independent Content Strategy Consultant)

Also, as long as you’re voting, here are some other interesting content-related panels by our colleagues and friends in CS. Check these out too:

• Will We Pay for Content Online?, Domenic Venuto, Razorfish
• Context Strategy: Wrangling Content Gone Wild, Patrick Nichols, Razorfish
• Sex Sells; Stories Stick: Why Characters Count Online, Charla Grenz-Solheim, Razorfish
• Content Strategy FTW, Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

• Oh, Go Service Yourself! Interactive Content for Humans, Colleen Jones, threebrick
• Keep ‘Em Coming: Courting Customers with Content, Colleen Jones, threebrick

• Greening Your Content: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rahel Anne Bailie, Intentional Design Inc.

Plus, there are many other interesting panels by our colleagues at Razorfish – too many to list, but check them out and vote for them, too!