SXPanels

First, my most obvious choice for an interesting panel- Big In Japan: Outreaching to a Unique Market from Ryan Homes of Hootsuite Media, Inc. Once I see the J-word, I'm in.

This panel focuses on the possibilities Japan may have for branching out their technologies to the rest of the world. This panel does make sure to include the fact that global social phenomena have developed differently in Japan. What prompts the alteration of these systems for the Japanese? Twitter, for example, has changed the way the Japanese regard sharing of information while their existing social media network, Mixi, has millions of users that feel using their real names is being too public. Let's see what makes it big from Japan! Go Japan! GANBATTE!

The topics of Twitter and Japan provide a suitable segue into this next article: Naked Dating: Finding Love in 140 Characters or Less from Jeremy Wright.

The reason this article sparked my interest immediately was because I'm planning on watching "Sunao ni Narenakute", a Japanese drama (with my favorite Korean guy, Kim Jaejoong!) that revolves around finding and falling in love... through Twitter! Is that even possible? Well, this panel sets out to answer that very question. What difficulties do single (or otherwise) folks face when trying to search for that special someone in the Twittersphere? *cue dramatic organ music* Find out at your local SXSW panel!

I've Never Met My Co-Workers - Running International Teams from Jason Lengstorf is another panel I'd love to make it out to for obvious reasons. The idea of, "reaching out and touching someone" through means of digital communication is beyond exciting to me. So what if you don't get to hang out with your work buddies after a long day of bizniz? Geography is no longer a hurdle in forming your perfect team. (Thank you, internets!) This panel addresses the benefits as well as concerns over forming an international team.

These next two panels involve a very serious topic, and one that's near and dear to my heart: comedy. Comedic Communication: Designing For Pleasure and Play and Social Media and Comedy: F**k Yeah!. Comedic Communication suggests that humor as a rhetorical strategy to reach audiences in a non-intimidating way has been largely ignored. Social Media and Comedy addresses the changes social media has made to the stand-up comedy circuit and the effects of clutter/over-saturation may have had on audience's taste in comedy.