On March 16, I was sitting in the Blogger Lounge in the Austin Convention Center for SXSW Interactive. The good folks at Zappos were doing a giveaway via Twitter, to the first tweet from the lounge. I was the proud winner of a Flip camera!

I’ve always wanted a Flip camera. I was slightly bummed that I didn’t win an HD one, but beggars can’t be choosers. I was thrilled to win the Flip regardless of it’s type. It’s an older model that actually takes Double A batteries, which is convenient when traveling.

Today my Flip was dead. I replaced the batteries, but the new juice did nothing to resuscitate it. I checked Flip’s website and found a customer service number, so I thought I’d give it a shout to see what could be done. Did I mention this was on a Sunday?

I rang the number and was pleasantly surprised when a human answered their support extension. She was charming and friendly, very happy for someone stuck at the office on a Sunday.

As it happens, the Flip doesn’t do well when you allow the batteries to die completely. In fact, it takes up to 72 hours for the camera to reset itself. You need to remove the dead batteries and leave the device alone, for three days. It’s a bummer this is the case, but I’m not complaining. This post isn’t about the device, it’s about how awesome Pure Digital Technologies’ (Flip’s parent company) customer support is.

Kudos to the good people at Flip for answering the phone on a Sunday, and for being knowledgable, curteous and friendly. Thanks also to Zappos for the Flip. Cheers.

I can’t possibly list everything I loved about the night, but I’ll do my best (in no specific order):

• Catching up with Nashville’s own Anne Hussung and Kate O’Neill – Nashville representin’!
• Being interviewed by the amazing Wayne Sutton
• Getting my first Google profiles business card from Brandon Sheats
• Meeting the One World Connects guys and receiving their unique meridian necklace. Think Akoha meets jewelery.
• Finally meeting Scott Schablow in person
• Fun chatting with Allie Sullivan
• Seeing Sean Smith from VolumMonster again
• Chatting about old school podcasting with Adam “AB” Bloom (Julien and C.C. said hello!)
• Talking about my side product with the super cool Jeff Cohen
• Meeting Scott Lockhart and his wife (name?) from Regator. Hat tip to you guys for an awesome evening too!
• Being interviewed not once, but twice, by Courtenay Bird
• Checking out Tessa Horehled‘s kick ass necklace
• The nice girl from Regator who kept bringing me snacks thanks!
• Chatting about Canada and community with Richard LeBer and Paul Rodman at the after party.
• Seeing my New Media Expo and Gnomedex comrade Mark Chernesky, I hope to see you there this year!
• Meeting and chatting with Adam Ostrow. Thanks again for an amazing evening. You Mashable peeps are awesome.
• Dreaming up a cool microphilanthropy idea with Jason Keath
  
• Thanks again for an amazing evening. You Mashable peeps are awesome.

…ok, I know I’m forgetting you. I’m so sorry if I forgot. Refresh my memory in the comments, feel free to give me a “virtual” slap up-side the head.

Thanks again to Regator and Mashable, plus all the other sponsors, for putting on an incredible night.

Don’t you just think Mashville has such a great ring to it? I’m really hoping the gang at Mashable decide to do a mixer in Music City next time.

Once again, I had a fabulous time at the South By Southwest Interactive conference. I must start this post with a huge thank you to the organizers and volunteers. Without these people the conference would never take place – major pat on the back!

Of the sessions I attended, I’d say that Jamie Monberg‘s Interactive Beyond the Screen: Branding in Four Dimensions was my favorite. I searched my tweets to find this gem from Jamie.

As brand designers it is our collective mandate to help our clients become interactive regardless of technology.

I am happy to have come across Hazel Grian’s recap post, which includes Jamie’s Six Rules of Innovation.

• do no harm then do some good.
• interactive is not always digital.
• brand yourself interactively.
• old is the new ‘new’ – products that do what they say they will do.
• understand and practice virtues of transparency.
• embrace your constituency with authenticity.

UPDATE: Ed Lee sent me this link of his videos from Jamie’s session. Thanks Ed!

The following are my personal highlights (in no order) from SXSW Interactive 2009.

• Seeing Keith Burtis as I stepped into the Austin airport
• Learning about B12 from Sass
• Running into so many of the Nashville contingent. REPRESENT!!!
• Devising an under-the-table tweet up in the blogger lounge with Amber Naslund
• Big bad ass burgers at Casino El Camino with C.C. Chapman
  
• Geek Breakfast Austin
• Checking out Scott Maentz’ video and pictures from Geek Breakfast
• Finally catching up with my buddies, Cian O’Donovan and Michelle Greer
• Crepes with Ewan Spence
• Breakdancing at the Makers Mark party at Mohawk (not me, them)
• Sunshine and Texas heat, finally.
• Winning a Flip camera from the good people at Zappos
• Joining C.C. Chapman, Chris Brogan, Loic Le Meur and Saul Colt on a panel (thanks Saul!)
• Catching Geoff Smith‘s secret performance and dinner with the Belmont Crew
• Freak watching on 6th (special guest appearance by one Robert Scoble)
• Ewan Spence, Chris Ennis and Michelle Greer’s stories at the Fray Cafe
• Salty beers with Cian
• Lunch with Greg Cangialosi, Steven Fisher and Jeremy Wright‘s Tweet Up that followed
• Fondoooo with friends
• Learning about “Go” by Julien Smith and Dan Patterson (and realizing I won’t have the time to play it until the kids are in college)
• Catching up with Simeon Margolis and ducking bats (not baseball bats, but real bats) on my way in to Gingerman
• Ewan’s Social Media Breakfast at Magnolia
• Lunch at Moonshine with loads of new and old friends
• Hitting Sean Power with an Akoha card
• Saying howdy to Katie King
• Coming through with Griffin goodies when they were needed by my peeps
• Introducing Jason Falls to Quebec beer (and catching Dave Broadback’s tweet reply)
• Forgetting the way to the #sevenandahalf floor

There are plenty of other favorites from SXSW this year. This list is just a taste of some of the highlights for me. There are plenty of people I’m leaving off, because it will take me weeks to remember everyone who touched me (not like that). Please don’t be offended if I didn’t include you.

SXSW is always valuable to me. While the quality of the sessions are fine, it’s always the human interaction that makes the conference so amazing to me. Keep in touch friends. Thanks!

I attempted to recreate the bizarre pony tweet today by tweeting with the word “pony”.

Sure enough a few minutes later I received this tweet:

This had me laughing all day. I love really obscure, strange humor. Of course I visited the @wheepony profile page and it’s simply Wheee!!! Pony!!! tweets to loads of people. There’s no link to who is responsible, or why they have set up this auto reply, but that’s why it’s so great.

I hope this doesn’t turn out to be some lame attempt at viral marketing for a new movie about ponies, or perhaps the 25th anniversary of My Little Pony. If this remains anonymous I will be a happy camper.