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Silicon Valley decamps to Austin, Texas

• Darren Waters
• 12 Mar 09, 08:55 GMT

Over the next seven days the streets of San Francisco, of Palo Alto, of Mountain View and any number of other Silicon Valley towns will be much quieter than usual.

The cream of the web and mobile web industry has decamped to Austin, a small, unassuming outpost in Texas for the South by (SXSWi).

More than 10,000 web developers, bloggers, digital gurus and self-confessed geeks will descend on the small town to talk, listen and learn.

It's one of the defining characteristics of the digital space: communication.

"It's all about meeting people, sharing ideas and making connections," Hugh Forrest, director of SXSWi told me.

"We are lucky enough to be this place that has attracted all these innovators in this industry. We are the beneficiary of a very vibrant, innovative and creative community."

Forrest's mantra, and one that holds true for many people who attend SXSWi is: "The more we listen and communicate the stronger we become."

People come for the panels but they return for the conversations between the sessions.

This year the range of talks, keynotes and panels is as diverse as ever.

I've picked out a .

They include a look at the next round of browser wars, the growth in micro-blogging, the rise and rise of casual gaming online, the future of user experiences and user interfaces, as well as focussing on the UK talent on display, and the hotly tipped web products just waiting to break through.

I'll be reporting on the festival here on Dot.Life, as well as on the main news pages of the technology section. You can also follow my more granular updates on .

For first-timers like myself there is plenty of advice out there:

to the festival and the key events it is looking at.

CNet has a series about .

Here's a rather from Jeremy Wright.

And after the surrounding Sarah Lacey's interview with Mark Zuckerberg last year, there is even on how to be a panellist or moderator.

For those really wanting the up-to-the-minute updates on EVERYTHING SXSWi, then check out .