Help Send Engine Yard to Austin for SXSW

If you’ve been to SXSW before, we don’t need to tell you that this isn’t your father’s conference. It’s quite impossible to express the experience, energy and excitement people get from this exciting event. A multimedia trifecta of music, technology and film, the independent spirit of SXSW is perhaps most directly influenced by the spirit of Austin itself. The city’s provocative “keep Austin weird” slogan is proudly displayed on bumper stickers and t-shirts and Austin’s 60,000+ college students gives the city a youthful and progressive vibe.

In recent years, popular social media sites such as Twitter and Foursquare have gained early traction and buzz during SXSW, making it the “must attend” event in the social media and web space. In line with its social media roots, SXSW Interactive crowd-sources their agenda by listening to the voice of the community. So if you’d like to see us included in the conversation at SXSW next year, we need your help!

We are thrilled that the following Engine Yard sessions are currently under consideration:

• Why You Should Contribute to Online Communities by Dr Nic Williams
• Going Beyond Gamification: New York Public Library by Tom Mornini and Nathan Verrill
• Building Mobile Apps: Prepare for explosive growth by Tammer Saleh
• [Rise of the Indie Web](http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/12752) featuring Shane Becker and a panel that includes Google, Flat Frog Design, and Tantek.com

Sound interesting? If so, please vote for us! Simply create a free account at panelpicker.sxsw.com and click the “thumbs up” icon next to the proposals you like.

While you’re here, what aspects of these topics interest you the most?