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8.25.2009

proposed asian-themed panels for sxsw 2010

I recently came a couple of interesting Asian American-themed proposals on the SXSW 2010 PanelPicker. Basically, the online community has a chance to vote and have a say in programming panels for the next South By Southwest conference in Austin. Here are two that have come to my attention:

We All Know Karate: Asian Identity in the Online Age
Asians are well-represented in technology and media, but mostly only behind the scenes. Panelists will discuss the pluses and minuses of life as a very public Asian face online, and how the internet at large deals with Asian identity.
Asians: The Silent Minority
Stereotypically known to blend into the background both personally and professionally, a significant amount of web professionals around the world are of Asian descent. How do they reconcile identity given one's history, heritage and contemporary culture? Given linguistic and cultural divides? While marketers and businesses perceive Asians as a target market, an overall sense of Asian unity has waned across the world for centuries. This panel attempts to explore the Asian web community's barriers and backgrounds, and collectively uncover intercultural nuances in both online and offline spaces. And also: "Why does everyone want to do business in China so bad?"
Click on the links to learn more about the proposals (and give your feedback). I participated in a panel at least year's conference, and we actually got in through the Panel Picker. I thought it went really well, and we had a good time, though frankly I thought there weren't nearly enough Asians among the session's attendees. What's up with that? Represent!