Friday Buzz: SXSW, a Year After Tragedy

Last year, one of the country’s hottest events took a tragic turn.

The 2014 edition of the SXSW festival—which covers topics in music, film, and interactive technology—was thrown into disarray after a driver fleeing police ran into a crowd of revelers. Four people were killed; nearly two dozen others were seriously injured.

“And for each specific memory of the pain, there is a matching remembrance of good, an opposite and equal reaction to the night’s horrors: the bystander who laid her sweater on a victim, or who started CPR, or used his shirt for a tourniquet, or knelt near the head of an injured man to hold his neck until medical help arrived,” the Austin American-Statesman‘s Eric Dexheimer wrote in a feature piece  (opens in a new tab).

The man who was behind the wheel of the car, Rashad Owens, remains in jail a year after the accident. Meanwhile, organizers of the festival, along with city officials, are looking to take the lessons of the tragedy and build a safer environment for attendees.

The city announced that it would cut down on the number of approved special-event permits, and some of the biggest brands at last year’s event are staying home amid criticism over unauthorized open-air parties. Those who are holding parties are toning back their events.

“It’s a very fine balancing act,” SXSW Interactive head Hugh Forrest told USA Today  (opens in a new tab). “Our top priority is having a safe and user-friendly event for all our registrants.”

Webinar to Watch

What’s your association’s IT maturity score? Join us & @dcoriale  (opens in a new tab) to find out http://t.co/EbsKIRuvd3  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/C8fXPnmtkw  (opens in a new tab)

— ACGI Software (@ACGISoftware) March 13, 2015  (opens in a new tab)

How do you ensure that your technology matches your needs? Tech firms DelCor and ACGI Software say the IT Maturity Model  (opens in a new tab) can help. The companies will host a free webinar about the value of a solid IT Maturity Score on March 31 at 1:30 EDT. Learn more over this way  (opens in a new tab).

Other Links of Note

Why you shouldn’t use a USB drive owned by someone you don’t trust: It can destroy your computer  (opens in a new tab).

If someone donates to your nonprofit, what should you do? Lori Finch of Care2 offers a step-by-step guide  (opens in a new tab) on the right way to react.

Cool community startup of the day: The Portland-based community app Switchboard wants to make it dead simple to start an online community  (opens in a new tab) for any reason.

(Ahson Wardak/Flickr)