Spontaneous networking at South by Southwest (SXSW) sounds like a great idea until you realize that 32,000 people register each year for the Film and Interactive portion alone (add another 16,000 potential contacts if you plan to attend Music, as well).
A startup called Meeteor wants to help users sort through the the crowd in advance.
The company’s core product uses Facebook Connect to introduce people with common friends, interests, schools and work histories. It asks you which companies and industries you’d like to network with before making these matches.
On Friday, Meeteor is launching a special version of the service designed specifically for SXSW that instead asks users to define what they’re interested in talking about at the conference. Discussion topics, which are based on SXSW’s panel offerings, include mobile, web, user experience, crowdfunding and gamification.
After users define their interests, the app suggests other users who have noted similar ones. At about 48 hours after launching a splash page, the user pool is still modest. Only about 250 people have signed up.
Meeteor denotes if suggested contacts have something in common, such as friends or an alma mater. They can then introduce themselves through a personal message and make plans to meet up at the conference.
The networking bliss that ensues — argues Meeteor co-founder Philip Cortes — will trump mobile apps that make on-location connections.
“We connect you with the best possible people,” he says, “not just people who happen to be around you.”
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, gehringj
Source: Mashable
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