The organizers of SXSW have just opened the SXSW 2007 Interactive Panel Picker. You can help pick the panels for next year’s SXSW Interactive festival. These panels were suggested by the comunity at large and former panelist. I recommended 7 or 8 myself. If you are planning on attending I highly recommend that you cast your vote so that the most desired panels can be put on the schedule. If have have been hiding in a hole and have never heard of SXSW, the new 2007 web site has been launched visit so that you can get an idea of what it’s all. Registration is open now, and I assume this means nominations for your favorites sites is also open. As long as we are discussing this - are you planning on going?

Updated: I guess I should list the panels that I recommended…

United We Stand Divided We Fall: Alternatives to RSS alerts during crisis

Accessible web design and emergency response doesn’t just mean accessible in that Bobby can read it. It also means does it work in times of crisis for people of all abilities? When an emergency arises how should we get alerts out. Texting? E-mail? SMS? Why? Because we already know how to these technologies. Are they enough? This panel will discuss these options and why being proactive and adding emergency protocols to non-emergency applications
is so important. Help before the problem happens. CAPS (Common Alerting Protocol) and PFIF (People Finder Information Format) are protocols to add on to existing sites for emergency response. Find out how programming to these standards, like will enable users to use them smoothly BEFORE a crisis hits. Learn how CAPS and PFIF are like RSS.

Design Workflows at Work: How Top Designers work their magic

Have you ever wondered how the top designers work their magic? What is their workflow? What tools and techniques work best for them as they create compelling and inspiring designs. Find out the workflows that work best in today’s fast paced environments. Get tips and best practices as true “Design Superheroes� share their craft.

Self Branding 2.0: Building your personal and corporate brand

How would you rate your personal brand? If you are in the technology field personal branding is an absolute necessity. This is doubly true if you are a start-up or thinking about starting a company because early on, the brand of a company and its founder will be one in the same. This panel will discuss ideas and techniques for building and maintaining a “true� personal brand.

What’s Next For Podcasting?

Podcasting and videocasting have developed at a lighting fast pace. So now that people are starting to get podcasting and RSS what’s next? How will radio really respond to the competitive challenge of the emerging podcast industry? What new podcast ready devices and services will emerge? This panel will discuss issues facing radio and podcasting as the podcasting industry begins to mature.

CMS Showdown: What’s the best Choice?

This panel will take a close look at some of the popular choices for Content Management (Expression Engine, ModX, Joomla, Mambo and others) available. Should you use open source, build or buy? T Explore how to choose the best CMS for your project or organization. Explore how you can use CMS to manage all aspects of your web site including blogging and podcasting.

Accessibility Super Heroes

Today accessibility is as much a part of a solid web strategy as usability, design and programming. Each role on a web team should pay careful attention to accessibility and understand when and where accessibility issues may arise. Who are the accessibility super heroes, how did they learn their craft and what do they recommend you know in this new Web 2.0 world. From learning basic accessibility techniques to participation in the W3C this session will help you become a accessibility super heroe.

Unstructured: Why free form conferences and groups work – and don’t

BarCamp, BrainJam, Foocamp, Refresh, Netsquared? What are they? Welcome to the world of Unconferences and informal organizations. Most of these Unconferences and groups are less than a year old but are shaking up the industry. They’re inexpensive, informal and require very little advanced planning. This panel will discuss the successes and failures of the new “unstructured� trend. Will also discuss how you can participate and even start your own group or unconference.

Industries that need a “New Web�

The web has taken some big steps forward over the last couple of years, but there are still industries that seem to be missing the boat when it comes to making the most of the web. This panel will explore some of these industries and some of the simple changes they can make the web work better for them. Industries including musician web sites, real estate, government sites, news media and more. This panel will explore good uses of RSS, flash, web standards, accessibility. It will also explore what these industries continue to do wrong today.