It’s that time again. Time to vote for your favorite SXSW panels! This will be my first year as a panelist at SXSW and I’m really looking forward to it! Give us a thumbs up so we can share local awesomeness with the SXSW Community!
Local Online Communities: Won’t You Be My Neighbor
Americans are increasingly turning to high tech tools to recreate the small town experience. Join us for a discussion with pioneers of local tech to learn about how location-based technologies are connecting people to create the next generation economy and a more engaged citizenry. We’ll cover tools of the trade, best practices and give you tips on how you can infuse place into your project. Finally, we’ll envision what the ideal connected neighborhood might look like in the future.
Questions Answered:
What are the best tools to make a local community more connected?
How are people using technology to create local economies?
How can I add a local focus to my technology product?
Why should I add a local focus to my technology product?
How can local technology help us build a better world?
Speakers:
Moderator: Lane Becker, Get Satisfaction
Jen Pahlka, Code for America
Micki Krimmel, NeighborGoods
Ann Baldinucci, NabeWise
Joe Stump, Simple Geo
Thirty-three year old programmer 
Web trend maker-and-author 
Introducing Commenting and Bookmarking!
Hey everyone! We’re really excited to announce two new features that should improve your experience:
First, we introduce our most requested feature: Bookmarking!
What’s more, you can add a neighborhood to any of your lists when you are on a neighborhood page via the bookmark button in the top right. Stay tuned for custom lists.
At NabeWise we feel like we are defined by all the places we’ve lived and visited over the years. You’ve told us that you feel the same way, so now you can save all your favorite places by bookmarking them to your profile. Here’s how it works: In your profile, you will find several pre-defined lists: Where I live or hang out now, Where I used to live or hang out, Places I want to live, Places I want to visit, and Other nabes I know. Under each of these lists you can add any neighborhoods on our site. And very soon, you will be able to create customized lists as well.
Second, may we present to you: Commenting!
When NabeWise launched, we set out to build a place that fosters a proud sense of community and dialogue around neighborhoods. We also want to highlight that there are multiple views on each neighborhood. Hopefully with commenting, we are one step closer to allowing you all to have lively discussions about the places you love… -or the places you hate… Comments are up –give them a try! We don’t mind a little debate!