I am really honored to have been asked to join two amazing panels for SXSW Interactive 2010. But in order to get them accepted into the conference, I need YOUR help! 30% of SXSW panels are picked by the audience in the official Panel Picker. Here are the brief outlines of both of my panels, read them over and them please take a minute to go over to the SXSW website and vote UP for the panels and leave a comment too.

1) Strengthening Local Communities with Social Media

Social networking tools are all around. Local communities are applying this technology to connect people in the real world. Whether with 140-character TweetUps, MyBarackObama.com mobilizing millions of Americans or location-aware mobile phones connecting neighborhoods in unimaginable ways. How can you use technology to live a more connected and neighborly life?

This panel will feature Brad King as moderator and:
Scott Heiferman, meetup.com
Naveen Selvadurai, Foursquare
Micki Krimmel, NeighborGoods
One other really cool person that can’t be listed yet (he works for Obama)

2) International Technical Volunteering: Everything You Need to Know

In this panel, you’ll hear from geeks who’ve ‘been there’ and have ‘done that’ – applied technology to help those who need it most. This panel consists of experienced technologists and volunteers. We’ll share inforamtion about what works and what doesn’t and, most importantly, how you can get started applying your geek brain to help those who need it most.

Lynn Langit (from Microsoft and DigiGirls) and I are presenting this panel. This panel is worth it to see Lynn in action! Her work is really focused on applications and providing opportunities for those in underserved areas and developing countries. We plan on moving at a fast pace and giving really tangible takeaways for technologists to use in their own endeavors.

Please vote for both, as always I appreciate your support!

*Note: Voting ends this Friday 9/4! So don’t delay!*