In a Designing for iPhone session, learned that Apple determined that 44 pixels is the ideal height for buttons and many things... as a result, 44 is ALL OVER the iPhone's native apps, etc.

some more suggestions from veteran designers:

- consider the "thumb zone" where most users are wanting tools to be clustered for access

- be generous with hot zones on buttons: sometimes hot zones should be slightly larger than the actual button, especially at smaller sizes

- keep screen focused on the PRIMARY action a user is likely working on, consider putting supplemental tools (editing, etc) behind "hidden" windows that are exposed on action vs. "always present" Tweetie is a great example of an app that does this well, avoiding "feature bloat" that can clutter a screen with too many too-small buttons

Perhaps appropriately, this open discussion was plagued by TECH problems with the mic, etc. It's more of an open sharing session about tools and thoughts about how traditional ad people can evolve. 

Some themes, with some of my own commentary:

- Just jump in. Don't treat technology as something you have to learn before you start dreaming. Fail. Fail. Fail. 

- Adopt a digital creative; forge a friendship and begin learning from them. Chances are those digital creatives have a ton to learn from you as a brand marketer. Your talents are complementary, not adversarial. Get out of your chairs. Go get a beer. 

- Fundamentals of creativity matter more than the technology. 

- Don't begin today thinking about banners (they're 2002 digital). 

- Ad agencies across the country have to adapt, as smaller production shops are becoming better and better at using their tech skills to end-around agencies to work directly with clients. 

- It's about user experiences, not pushing messages. ENGAGE, don't push stuff at people. That doesn't work anymore.  

- Pay attention to how YOU yourself use the internet every day; how would you earn the attention of yourself?

- Understand SEARCH. This is the core of most digital campaigns. It sounds boring as shit, but this (and analytics) will help your ideas. 

After about 25 minutes, I kind of got bored with this. It was reiterating things we keep hearing... essentially, you gotta just get in. 

from yesterday's keynote:

"Human's are biased to share, and to enjoy doing it."

"Abundance disrupts far more than scarcity"

"Popularity is an imbalance between demand and supply."

Stuff only dorks laugh at: every session I've been at the hashtags seemingly have been created by people who don't use Twitter at all. 

Good example, this Tolstoy-esque tag which cracked up the room: #html5developmenttrenches

I'm guessing next year SXSW will think twice before assigning an intern to develop hashtags. 

Description: HTML5 is coming. Originally called "web applications 1.0", it brings new semantics, JavaScript APIs for drag and drop, offline storage, generating images, plugin-free video and form validation. It's upset semantic web advocates, accessibility evangelists and baffled developers. Cut through the crap: learn what it is and what it does.

This was primarily for geeks, and guys who wish they could geek like me. Overview of the future standard HTML5, which seeks to standardize a lot of kludgey code and bring a lot of cool tools (video/forms) into the browser with next to nothing as far as code.

To wit, this little bit of code will insert a video into yer page: <video src="someclip.mp4" controls />

I don't know much, but this was seriously great stuff coming down the pipeline as HTML5 rolls out further.

Description: The ability to share online has allowed consumers to control and filter the web. For brands and publishers, tapping into Influence is critical to social media's future. What is influence and how is it measured? Leading voices in social media from multiple backgrounds will define the value of influence, discuss best practices, and predict future impact. http://my.sxsw.com/events/event/889

Good panel discussion on the role of influence in social media. Panelists tennis-matched questions posed by the moderator on how to grow, cultivate, and consider influence and its role in branding. A few key points I liked:

- The democratization of tools (Twitter, FB, etc.) has both decreased the relevance of "influencers" by making more of them, but also made it easier to locate them: they're EVERYWHERE. 

- Brands have a responsiblity if they engage in social communities to not abandon them. Consider this before putting up a FB fan page: you're in for the long haul, or you will be hammered by the community. 

- Brands must have a defined P.O.V. and be willing to engage with their communities. 

- Be brave. If you're not willing to take some chances, you shouldn't even be bothering to engage socially. And your business will be dead soon.