Nikon Gets Social at SXSW Festival

South by Southwest (SXSW), the festival that brings music lovers to Austin, TX every year starts today. Thanks to Nikon, even if you're stuck at home in the (still) cold and rainy weather, you can keep up with South by Southwest happenings!

Nikon is teaming up with yfrog and top bloggers at the South by Southwest Festival this year to produce the first of its kind photo and video gallery highlighting the parties, panels, premiers and more at the Festival!

How does it work? A group of dedicated bloggers armed with Nikon cameras will upload their photos from around Austin. Then, any images and videos uploaded through Twitter using the #SXSW, #SXSWpics or #SXSWpix hashtags will automatically be shared through the gallery. There will also be a live Twitter feed and "News from #SXSW" sections of the site, making it a destination for South by Southwest attendees and fans.

Who's participating? Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan), Jeff Pulver (@jeffpulver), Sarah Austin (@pop17), Brooklyn Vegan (@brooklynvegan) and the winner of the Nikon Film Festival, Marko Slavnic will be uploading images throughout the week.

Afraid you're going to miss something? No worries. The Nikon Gallery on yfrog will remain active for uploading new content throughout March, and will remain live for viewing indefinitely.

Press release:

NIKON TO SHOWCASE PHOTO AND VIDEO CONTENT FOR AUSTIN FESTIVAL

March 12, 2010 – Digital imaging leader Nikon Inc. announced today that it will offer a unique social platform for the music, technology and film community to post content in a dedicated gallery on yfrog, the only photo and video sharing service available for Twitter. The Nikon gallery (www.yfrog.com/Nikon) will feature photos and videos from bloggers and attendees at the interactive, film and music festival taking place in Austin, March 12-21, 2010.

In addition to viewing content and posting comments, site visitors can use yfrog to upload images and videos to the Nikon gallery by using the hashtags "#SXSW" or "#SXSWpics," and share content through their own social networks and follow a real-time Twitter feed on the site. The Nikon gallery will enable thousands of members of the music, interactive and film community to offer updates, share photography and video content and participate in a dialogue about emerging trends with friends and peers.

Nikon has enlisted five bloggers from various communities, including music, pop culture, film and photography to serve as photography and video ambassadors at the festival in Austin. They include:

• Sarah Austin, lifecaster and pop culture blogger, Pop17.com (Twitter: @pop17)
• Chris Brogan, author and founder of New Marketing Labs (Twitter: @chrisbrogan)
• Marko Slavnic, Nikon Festival winner and aspiring filmmaker (Twitter: @markoslavnic)
• Brooklyn Vegan, music blog (Twitter: @brooklynvegan)
• Jeff Pulver, author and tech expert, JeffPulver.com (Twitter: @jeffpulver)

Each blogger will be equipped with Nikon digital cameras to capture their experience for the Nikon gallery, showing their perspective on festival news and events through images and HD video. They will attend screenings, musical performances, interactive panels and local parties in Austin during the festival.

Photos and videos can be uploaded to yfrog via computers and smart phones, and the site supports the most common photo and video file formats, including jpeg, bmp, gif, mov, flv, mpeg and more.

"Nikon is always looking for new ways to meet the needs of our consumers, whether it’s delivering excellent image quality or providing a platform to share photos and videos in a unique way," said Lisa Baxt, Senior Communications Manager for Nikon Inc. "We're excited to deploy Nikon cameras to bloggers for capturing their personal experiences at events throughout the next few weeks."

"The use of tools for photo-sharing through social and micro-blogging communities like Twitter will continue to rise, and we’re excited to work with Nikon to enhance the user experience," said Jack Levin, Chief Executive Officer for ImageShack, the parent company of yfrog. "We recognize the need for simplifying the social content-sharing process and respect the full line of Nikon’s award-winning products that offer both photo and HD video capabilities."

The Nikon Gallery on yfrog will remain active for uploading new content throughout March, and will remain live for viewing indefinitely.

SOURCE Nikon