The SXSW PanelPicker gives us insight into industry trends and lets us know what our engaged community is talking about today. To track this information and stay up-to-date on what's happening with the PanelPicker, this week we launched the new PanelPicker Trending feature. Find a link to SXSW's three events on the front page of the PanelPicker here.

Because SXSW programming is a curated process, with staff and the Advisory Board contributing input on which proposals are ultimately chosen, the PanelPicker is definitely not a popularity contest. However, votes from the PanelPicker do make up 30% of the final score, so it's still one important way to gauge interest in a particular topic or discussion. See what's trending now for SXSW Interactive and don't forget that PanelPicker voting ends at 11:59 CT on Friday, August 27.

Make sure you don't miss all the great 2011 programming by registering to attend SXSW today!