SXSW Kicks Off With Impromptu Parties and Foursquare Insanity

Did you know if you check in (on Foursquare, that is) to two hotels in one night you earn the Hookup badge? Well, yes you do. Even if you didn't actually hook up. And that's what's so representative of Foursquare's stupidity.

Now, don't get us wrong. We love Foursquare. We're obsessed with it. We check in everywhere we go. It's a game. It's fun. And at SXSW it helps you find out where the people are and where the action's at. So no complaint's from that front. But when you can add your own venues, such as "Missy Ward's Cleavage" (this is true), and have it stay in the system for weeks, it goes beyond being funny. And you really have to wonder about those people with thousands of points. If you do the math, they'd have to traverse the country and check into hundreds of places each week to attain their position in the rankings. You just have to wonder.

Anyway. We love Foursquare and we're going to keep using it. Why? Because it's how we found the two parties we attended last night. You see, you can watch the places that are trending (many people checking into in a period of time). And last night it was where the Barbarian Group's Rick Webb and friends could be seen among many others in the digi-ad space at The Ginger Man Pub.

And Foursquare is how we found our way over to The Driskill where Digg's Kevin Rose was holding court and Brian Solis was pouring champagne. And where the wonderful Rana June Sobhany (remember her?) could be seen. Techzulu's Amanda Coolong was there. SocialFresh's Jason Keath was there. And the list could go on. The point is, Foursquare, while a game, serves a purpose. But it won't be around long unless they hire a marketer who can figure out how to create a sustainable business model. Kinda like what Twitter's been trying to do for, oh, three years and still hasn't come up with anything.

Anyway, SXSW has begun. Hoards of digerati have descended upon Austin and will be here for ten days doing business, drinking, watching movies, listening to music and generally having a lot of fun. We'll do out best to share it all with you.

Oh, and let's not forget about 6th street.

As always, the pictorial goodness is here for your consumption. It's not my best work. Give me a day or two to warm up.