Facebook Meets a Mob

Just ran across an article on the Wired Blog that combines a few of my favorite things: An arts fest, an internet phenom and a semi-hostile crowd. It turns out that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, was being interviewed at SXSW by Sarah Lacey. It did not go as planned.

A few clarifications:

• Zuckerberg is 23 years old and a billionaire. Neither of these facts make him a bad guy, but they do mean that he's going to be popular this year at his five year high school reunion.

• I'm reading about a lot of people canceling their Facebook accounts because it takes them too long to manage. This strikes me as a highbrow way of saying "I'm too popular and/or I don't have the self control to not check it" but whatever.

• SXSW is a very trendy music and film fest in Austin. I've always wanted to go...but never have.

Anyway, the crowd got a little rowdy because the interviewer was tossing the guy softball questions - many which he refused to answer. The result was an interview that grew awkward, then even worse (boring). Eventually, the heckling began, and the interviewer started letting the crowd ask the questions.

Meanwhile, they were all twittering 'till their thumbs grew numb. It was E-anarchy at it's finest. Hate that I missed it.

Here's the deal. I kind of like a hostile crowd. Not a bored crowd...but one that is a little tweaked. It makes one think a little faster. I rarely think I'm the smartest guy in the room, but when it comes to thinking on my feet, I can usually do ok. Speed and IQ are not always synonymous, and in front of a crowd, the quicker guy wins.

Maybe I'll go to SXSW when they decide to interview me. If they do, will you please come and heckle? Please? Let's get this party started.