SXSW interactive was big this year. Among the people I knew, several were dissatisfied with the atmosphere (the metaphor was flocks of grackles like the birds that make a racket in Austin) and the lack of content depth. SXSW is never the single best place for content — there are more in-depth conferences — but it is a good place to get an array of medium-level information that is of interest to web designers and developers.
Still, I enjoyed it and got a good amount out of it. I went to sessions on a few topics that I was interested in, but hadn’t been following in depth, and got some good substance plus great references. I had good conversations with several people I was happy to have met. And connected with my Austin friends.