Trying to process what goes on at SXSW can be difficult. When you first get come you are on such an adrenaline high that you don’t know what to do first, what to blog first, you are just excited. I think I captured some of that excitement in the video I made the day I got back from SXSW.

So much happens during the conference that it can be hard to remember it all. One new thing that helped me this year was the SXSW community on Lunch. (client) Because I was reviewing panels as I was sitting in them, I had good notes that I could go back to and see what I really got from different sessions.

But of course, SXSW isn’t just about the sessions, it’s really about the people that you meet. This being my second year, I really felt like I got a chance to meet some great people, and to even get closer to friends I had met last year. Last year I was taping a video podcast at SXSW, and I met some amazing people. But I didn’t really take the time to get to know everyone lat year, the way I did this year.

Chances are if we met or had a conversation this year at SXSW I was probably crying. But it was being honest about what I was going through that brought me real friends. Changing your diet can often times product a detox affect. And a lot of times, one of the symptoms of a detox can be emotional moments. South by was no exception. But once I got home I didn’t feel alone, I realized that I have this amazing group of friends, who live all over the world, who will always be there for me.

So, with that in mind, here are my top 5 things from SXSWi 2010:

1. Twittering Through Chemo – Survivors Unite: It was hard to pick a #1 between Gary’s Keynote and this panel. They were drastically different ends of the spectrum. In the end this is my number one for making me realize a lot about myself. My biggest takeaway from this session was that everyone needs support. It’s not just the person going through chemo, but everyone around them needs support as well.
2. Gary Vaynerchuk Presentation: This talk was amazing, not just because of what Gary said, but because of the amazing audience that gave Gary a run for his money. I also realized in this session that I didn’t really want the kind of job I thought I wanted.
3. Speakeasy: This is a great venue and I went here a few times this week (this was where the TechSet party was), but this #3 is for the night of the Sunday, March 14th. All my friends ended up here, just hanging out on the couches. Great friends, great laughs, and a night I will never forget! Thank you all!
4. Community Management: Future Skills You’ll Need to Know: This panel really opened my eyes. For the longest time I thought that what I wanted to do in Social Media was really called marketing. Now I realized it’s Community! This will probably be the biggest eye opener for me at SXSW. Stay tuned…
5. The Driskill: There were so many nights where I had an awesome time hanging at the Driskill. But my top night has to be the last night of SXSWi. I really got a chance to spend time with my close friends, and have conversations that I will never forget.

There is still so much more I want to mind dump from SXSW, but that’s all I could get out for now. To my SXSW family, I miss you all! And if you couldn’t make it this year, I hope we see each other next year in Austin!