10 Things to Do If Your SXSW Panel Is Rejected

As the clock ticks down on public voting for the 2010 SXSW media panels, I know what you’re thinking.  When you’re not desperately spamming your Twitter followers, Facebook friends and actual acquaintances to vote vote vote for your panel, you’re quietly coming to grips with the inevitable: What if my panel doesn’t get picked?

150 panels have been pitched for the Film category.  331 panels have been pitched for Music.  But with 2293 panels pitched for the Interactive category, something’s gotta give.  And that weak link just might be you.

Maybe no one’s interested in your topic.  (Doesn’t everyone use ActionScript 3?)  Maybe no one knows who you are. (Heresy! This is social media!!)  Or maybe everyone does know who you are, but they think you’re unqualified to speak about the topic you’ve suggested.  (BLASPHEMY!  I’m a guru!!!)

Chin up, kid.  We all suffer the stink of failure every so often.  What separates the winners from the people most likely to get a degree from Full Sail University is tenacity.  So pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back to “work.”  You can start by doing one of the following:

1. Cry. But Twitter about it.
2. Drink. (It is a federal holiday.)
3. Network. If only you’d known another 1000 people on Facebook, you’d probably have gotten in.  These guys can probably help you.
4. Read. Others have failed before you, and then written about that failure in a book you can pay money for.
5. Write a Book About Your Failure. (See above.)
6. Pray. Although considering the number of people who’ll also be praying for this exact same reason, you may trigger a Fail Whale in heaven.
7. Retail. Because you can always use more practice selling strangers things they don’t want.
8. Prostitution. Not unlike social media expertdom, though it does require you to meet people face to face.
9. Phone Sex. Same as #8, but do-able over Skype.  (So you can multitask.)
10. Get Better at What You Think You’re Already Good at Because Not Enough Other People Believe You.

Good luck, and I look forward to seeing most of you on this exact same blog post next year.

Tags: branding, bullshit, events, expert, networking, perception, Social Media