It’s that time of the year again! The SXSW 2010 PanelPicker has opened and, with it, 2,219 proposals are up for consideration for the Interactive portion of the conference. I am on 7 (yes, feel free to giggle) of these.

Online voting accounts for 30% of the decision making process (30% goes to the SXSW staff and 40% to an advisory board). Anyone can vote and registration is required. I would appreciate any and all consideration and, if you feel any of my sessions are worthy, your vote. I have spoken at South by Southwest twice, but both were solo book based presentations. I’ve never been on a panel or done a normal solo presentation. I’m hoping this is the year I can break in, with your help and I appreciate your support.

Here are the proposed sessions that I am a part of, along with a description and my fellow panelists on each (click on the title to vote):

PANEL: “How to Recover From a Brand Collapse”

Description: We’ve all seen individuals and companies trash their brand and message so completely that everyone feels nobody will ever trust them or take them seriously again. Martha Stewart, Domino’s Pizza, Southwest Airlines, Hulu, etc. But countless examples exist of brands that *have* recovered. This panel will dissect these examples to learn the path from near-death to total recovery of a brand.

Panelists: Lucretia Pruitt, Director of Social Media at Collective Bias; Jeremy Wright, CEO of netmobs and Founder of b5Media and Muhammad Saleem, Director, Social Media Strategy at ChicagoNow.

SOLO: “Jack Bauer’s Guide to Managing Online Communities (Unofficial)” (click to look at the questions the session will answer…)

Description: Jack Bauer (the lead character on the FOX television show “24”) is the coolest, most brilliant bad guy fighter on the planet. What can we learn from him that can be applied to the way we manage our online forums and communities? This session is not affiliated with Fox.

Note: please, please let Kiefer Sutherland be in town during SXSW Film… wouldn’t that be so utterly awesome?

PANEL: “Marketing and Online Communities: Oil and Water?”

Description: Online communities represent captive audiences, having conversations that you want your company to be a part of. But, communities are built upon trust and respect that is earned and are rightfully protective of their space. So, how do you connect with them? That’s what we’ll discuss.

Panelists: Brandon Eley, Interactive Director at Kelsey Advertising & Design, Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out” and Founder of 2BigFeet.com; Darren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book” and Shayne Tilley, Marketing Manager at SitePoint and Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out.”

PANEL: “Saving Our Newspapers Through Community”

Description: Many newspapers have online community features, but few of them have user interaction that is intelligent, responsible discourse. Can a newspaper set behavioral ground rules and still claim to be an open forum? What staff and time resources should be in place to effectively foster and moderate a thriving community? We’ll explore these questions and offer a step-by-step playbook for evolving the social newspaper.

Panelists: Jason Falls, Principal at Social Media Explorer; Jennifer Howze-Wood, Lifestyle Editor at Times Online and Blogger at Alpha Mummy; Julia Thompson, Digital Communities Editor at the Tallahassee Democrat and Nathan T. Wright, Social Media Strategist at Lava Row.

PANEL: “Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&!”

Description: Too often, individuals and businesses take advantage of someone else’s turf and excuse it as “shameless self promotion.” It’s not acceptable and it can lead to you being labeled a spammer or worse. In this panel, we’ll tell you how to promote yourself without turning others off.

Panelists: Brandon Eley, Interactive Director at Kelsey Advertising & Design, Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out” and Founder of 2BigFeet.com; Twanna A. Hines, Founder of Funky Brown Chick Corporation, freelance writer and blogger and Owner, FunkyBrownChick.com and Darren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book”.

PANEL: “The Art of Conversational Marketing”

Description: Social media platforms are supposed to be about conversations, not marketing. But marketing and public relations professionals are using communities to their advantage on a regular basis. This presentation will explore the right ways to engage in conversational marketing in communities and social networks in a spam-less fashion.

Panelists: Jason Falls, Principal at Social Media Explorer and TBD (brand person).

PANEL: “When Does the Conversation End and the Selling Begin?”

Description: Social media is now critical in the modern marketing mix. However the emergence of a social media corporate etiquette is creating real barriers between a conversation and direct sale. So how do you effectively transfer your conversations to a sale without risking your online reputation? That’s what will be answered.

Panelists: Brandon Eley, Interactive Director at Kelsey Advertising & Design, Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out” and Founder of 2BigFeet.com; Darren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book” and Shayne Tilley, Marketing Manager at SitePoint and Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out.”

Please let me know if you have any thoughts or if you plan to attend South by Southwest. I look forward to seeing you there!