Meeting Bob Metcalfe

"An Evening with Bob Metcalfe" was a unique opportunity for us graduate students. It was amazing to speak with and hear such an innovator speak, someone who has changed all of our lives. Where would we be without Ethernet? Our lives would definitely be different.

Not only was this such a neat opportunity, but Mr. Metcalfe's demeanor made it easy to talk to him and ask him questions. My favorite part was when he talked about his time at Harvard getting his PhD. It was interesting to hear his disdain for Harvard and some of his former professors. I don't know what I would have done if I found out a week before graduation that my dissertation was rejected. I would have been devasted, but Mr. Metcalfe just continued to persevere and earned his PhD.

I also enjoyed when he talked about his relationship with Steve Jobs, it was funny when he told the story about how he changed a flat tire. Probably the only thing Steve Jobs and I had in common was our inability to change a flat! His story about how he found out about Steve Job's death at a bar was touching.

I like that he is teaching innovation at UT, because there seems no one more qualified to teach innovation than Mr. Metcalfe. Also, I like how he basically went to UT and told them that he was teaching Innovation, basically creating his own course.

I also was pretty happy when I answered his mind puzzle correctly. I'm usually not good at things like that, so I was a bit proud!

All in all, it was a wonderful experience getting to speak with a true innovator! Here's an article and sound from Mr. Metcalfe's talk at SXSW.

SXSW panels and the future of journalism

There is a lot going on at SXSW. I mean, A LOT. But these are my top five Interactive panels so far.

1. Bloggers vs. Journalists: It's a Psychological Thing
I would probably go to any panel organized by Jay Rosen, but this one is especially interesting to me. The idea of Bloggers vs. Journalists, or rather Journalists vs. Bloggers, is still ruffling feathers in newsrooms, and it's just silly at this point. I think it's a detriment to the newsroom, and "real journalists" who dismiss the web are missing the point.

2. Will News Apps Re-Invent Journalism?
Like No. 1, this hits close to home for me. Newspaper companies are scrambling to keep up with new technology. Newspapers can't wait to get their hands on apps, but it doesn't seem like they know what to do with them when they get them. And sometimes, the apps never even make it to people because the companies can't agree on who gets the biggest piece of the money pie. Will news apps re-invent journalism? I'd like to know the answer to that.

3. Offline America, Why We Have A Digital Divide
Reading about this panel made me stop and say, "Wait, wait, WAIT." The description says, "There is a complex combination of emotional, political and logistical reasons why 35% of Americans have no broadband at home and why 22% do not use the Internet at all. We can't start solving the problem until we understand it." While I firmly believe assistance should be given to people who want the Internet and can't get it, whether it's because of financial reasons or location or some other reason, I think people who choose not to live their lives online should be left alone. Why is it a problem? I hope the panel is a little more clear.

4. Beyond Check-Ins: Location Based Game Design
This is a new concept for me, and I find myself really interested in it. As someone who tends to adopt trends late, that says a lot. Location based social media has a lot of potential, and I think we're just seeing the beginning of what it can and will do. Newspapers, for example, haven't really considered using LBS to their advantage, but it's coming.

5. Mistakes I Made Building Netflix for the iPhone
OK, this one isn't really about journalism, but I love, love, LOVE Netflix. It sounds like it will be an informative and entertaining panel. It should also be interesting to anyone interested in how apps are built and how they work.

As for the keynote speakers, I'd see Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes. A successful business with a genuine social conscience? WHAT? That alone is a cause for hope.

Check out the complete list of confirmed 2011 SXSW Interactive sessions.

Looking forward to seeing the next round of panels Nov. 8.

SXSW Second Interview

Suneel Gupta is the creater of The Kahani Movement. This is a website where "members of the Kahani social network collect and share stories from the first major wave of South Asians that immigrated to the U.S. Kahani means “story” in Hindi," says Gupta. He was inspired to find a way to share stories from his own family's experiences he grew up hearing. Personal stories of living in exile, experiencing violence stemmed from racism, great triumph and adjusting to a new environment are recounted through videos, photos, and blog posts.

"David Isay's Storycorps proved that ordinary people have extraordinary stories to share – you just need to ask. The Kahani Movement brings the original Storycoprs concept into the Web 2.0 space," says Gupta.

Gupta is well versed in the world of Web 2.0 and open-source approach to projects. He was formerly the director of Mozilla Labs. "Social media allows our members to collaborate, share ideas, and promote each other's work, which is critical to the project's success," says Gupta.

Gupta needed a platform that would allow people to share their stories within their small communities and beyond. "Tools in the Web 2.0 space, have allowed us to reach millions of people and let them reach other," says Gupta. He built the Kanahi site based on Ning, a user-friendly social networking site. Gupta works closely with the Ning team to bring these untold stories to life online.

Gupta is looking forward to SXSW interactive 2010 as a panelist and participant. "There is no better platform than SXSWi to share a new idea and get feedback from interesting, innovative people," says Gupta. He's got the same idea all savvy SXSWi-goers have while attending the conference--contribute and grow. Gupta says, "we are hoping to share some of the things we've learned through Kahani -- where we've met our goals and where we stumbled a bit. Moreover, we're aiming to offer Kahani as a model to be replicated because we believe that every community has stories worth preserving.

Read more about Suneel Gupta's upcoming panel here StoryCorps 2.0: Social Networking Meets Storytelling (Suneel Gupta, The Kahani Movement).

GenY and Upstarts

In the world of business, the tried and true ways of starting a company are changing.

In her presentation at SXSW, Donna Fenn author of the book, Upstarts! GenY Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the Business World, will examine how GenYers are rewriting the entrepreneurial playbook one start-up business at a time.

What makes GenYers so different from their predecessors? The CEO’s of Generation Y are not only young but tech savvy, and they have a whole new way of communicating.

“They’re a very social generation and so they tend to start companies with partners, seek out advisors and mentors, tap into the resources of their colleges and universities, and generally draw in communities of vendors and customers into the larger visions of their companies, Fenn said. “I think this ultimately makes for stronger, more sustainable companies.”

Fenn, who has worked in business journalism for 20 years, says that young entrepreneurs are making an impact in just about every industry where technology can give them an advantage over the competition.

“Younger entrepreneurs tend to be collaborative, tech-savvy, and very agile. They’re also very socially conscious and focused on work/life balance and creating productive and fun workplaces,” Fenn said. “So I think those are all traits that entrepreneurs of every generation should take note of and attempt to emulate.”

GenYers also keep up with trends in social media. These tools help them communicate with customers, meaningfully and intimately. Social media helps build their business, by enabling them to create powerful brand identities.
“Look at what Tony Hsieh has done with Twitter – there’s no better example of how to use social media to your competitive advantage,” she said.

However, both young and old entrepreneurs have some knowledge to offer each other, she said. Older entrepreneurs have the knowledge that comes with experience. They are better negotiators, manage people better, and are not as easily distracted.

Fenn became interested in GenYers a couple of years ago.

“I began noticing more and more companies that were started by people in their twenties – more than I had ever seen in my twenty plus years in business journalism. I wanted to know what was driving them to start businesses, what kinds of companies they were starting, and if those companies were really so different from the ones I’d covered in the past,” she said.

The negative stereotypes of GenY are that they are spoiled and entitled, something that Fenn’s personal observations continually refuted.

“I have to admit that as a mother of two GenYers, I felt a little protective and possible defensive. My gut reaction was: wait a minute, this is an amazing generation of kids and I’m tired of hearing stories about how they all rely on their parents to micromanage their careers,” she said.

“I know that happens, but many of the young CEOs I spoke to were actually employing their parents and providing a major means of support to their families. That doesn’t sound entitled to me.”

Fenn’s advice to the college student who wants to create a startup of his/her own? Use what’s available to you to get ahead.

“Never again will you have as many free and valuable resources available to you as you have in college, so take full advantage of them. I’m talking about knowledgeable professors, possibly courses in entrepreneurship and/or on-campus incubators and entrepreneurship clubs, “she said.

Fenn also believes that the spirit of true entrepreneurship is purely based on your motivations.

“Entrepreneurship doesn’t always start with an idea. You’ve got to have passion for the entrepreneurial life – for building something that’s of value and that in some way will make life easier and better for the people your company touches, “she said.

“If you just want to get rich, forget it. Entrepreneurship is like journalism – it’ll make you miserable unless you love it so much that you can’t possibly imagine doing anything else.”

Fenn describes her book as a conversation starter on the topic of GenY and entrepreneurship.

“I hope that older readers come away with a new perspective on GenY and that they realize that this generation is doing business in a way that really does define the future of entrepreneurship for all of us,” she said. “And I hope that younger readers are inspired to pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams!”

Chris Heathcote: Meta Loca

Chris Heathcote will be making his first apperance at SXSW this year. Coming all the way from London England, Chris says he is tremendosly excited to be in Austin for the first time and to be presenting at the conference. His panel will be discussing the latest take on something that a few designers have been working on for a while, such as the interface between computers and the internet. Chris has been designing for the internet for thirteen years and seven years with mobile phones. Some of Chris's specialties included, interaction design, product creation, and branding.

One of the issues that will be addressed on the panel concerns user generated content, social media, and how it is extended into the real world. Chris has recently been working at Nokia for the past five years. The motto at Nokia is "Connecting People." Chris says it is an innate universal human desire to want to communicate. Chris also commented on how initially people are surprised with all the new forms of social media such as, Twitter, Skype, Facebook and SMS, but that anything that allows new forms of communication if easy enough to use and cheap enough, are always embraced. Chris said, ' Lots of people talk about the Dunbar number. You can keep in communication at a sustainable level with 150 people, but it seems pretty irrelevant these days. I follow 400 people on Twitter, I subscribe to 1100 RSS feeds. I realize I'm at an extreme of consumption, but as tools that allow ambient awareness of others improve, the amount of communication can only increase." With all the new advances in social media, critics ask whether the use of social media is "real" communiation? Chris relpied, "real-time-one-to-one communication doesn't now seem like the most appropriate method for most, but it's no more change than we've encountered in the last 150 year, with advent of a fast, cheap, ubiquitous postal service, and telegraph service."

Chris has recently been researching and working with urban screens. Urban screens have recently been replacing billboards and traditional paper advertising. Chris said that currently the entire London underground metro system is covered in digital billboards. What Chris believes is most interesting about this phenomenon is that while traditional paper advertising is disappearing, things that look like computers are rapidly appearing in urban environments. "It's happening before there's really been any civic discussion about what this means, and in private spaces, that don't require planning permission," says Chris. "I'm interested in what designers and others who have been researching technology and urban environments can do to make screens more useful and more interesting, to the public as well as advertisers or owners."

Your Life in Six Words or Less: Storytelling in The Digital Age

When Larry Smith and Tim Barkow started SMITH Magazine in 2006, their intention was to create a place where personal narrative could flourish and be shared online. This initial idea led to several successful developments, including the Six-Word Memoir story project. Here, anyone and everyone is encouraged to express themselves in the manner that texting, Twitter and Facebook have taught us so well - with brevity and, hopefully, with honesty and humor.

The Six-Word Memoir project appealed to so many people that it has led to two bestselling books, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure and Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak. "Six-Word Memoirs are the quickest, easiest way to get a glimpse into another person's personality, humanity and essence," says Smith. "There's this feeling of intimacy and connection in a world gone digital."

Smith's panel It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs From Writers Famous and Obscure has been chosen for SXSW 2010, and the session will consist of readings from the new Six-Word Memoir book as well as contributions from the audience. Examining this phenomenon in a room filled with tech-savvy folks should lead to a better understanding of the direction in which communication and self-expression are going.

Over 200,000 Six-Word Memoirs have been submitted to SMITHmag.net and SMITHTeens.com, and many people (including several teens) make a habit of submitting something every day. Smith and another staff member read them all. "It's a joy to read thousands and thousands of expressions of humanity, six words at a time," he says. The Web site also includes six-word video memoirs and links to other projects in the making, with the underlying theme being that this is a democratic, forward-thinking and participatory mode of storytelling.

Freelance Isn't Free: The Twisted Economics of Writing Today

Jeff Beckham's SXSW panel, Freelance isn't Free: The Twisited Economics of Writing Today, seems to come at the most appropriate time when struggling newspaper are looking for freelance writers instead of full-time reporters.

Beckham graduated from the University of Texas with a journalism degree and spent the early years of his career working for newspaper. He now works for the online group of AT&T, but decided to find an outlet where he could write more about his interests-- sports and technology. Two years ago Beckham began writing for the Austinist and is currently their Tech and Sports Editor.

"So in working with Austinist, I saw how local media could be effective even where every person was an unpaid volunteer. It was a really nice community effort," Beckham said.

Beckham's opportunity to write for the Austinist led him to an inevitable question which in turn led to the topic of his SXSW 2010 panel: What kind of freelance work is worth paying for?

"On the one hand, anyone who wants to can now write and publish their work online, even if it's for a tiny audience. But it's also made it more difficult for freelance writers to get paid for their work. If the quality is roughly the same, why wouldn't sites choose to work with a large army of people working for free rather than a select few asking for money?" he said.

Beckham hopes that his panel will act as a discussion between freelancers and media outlets.

"Freelance workers should come away with a better understanding of what types of writing or content are worth paying for, and representatives of the media should come away with an empathy for freelance workers, but also a sense of fairness on the value of their work," Beckham said.

Big Brother in Your Brain: Neuroscience & Marketing

    Eric Kogelschatz first learned about neuromarketing while attending graduate school at Michigan State University. After reading the NYTimes article “There’s a Sucker Born in Every Medial Prefrontal Cortex” and watching the PBS program “Frontline: The Persuaders” Kogelschatz’s ideas about advertising changed.
    “From my perspective, the institution of advertising is defined as the communication of product or service related information in a persuasive manner. However, after reading this article and watching the program, I began to realize that advertising, coalesced with cognitive neuroscience (neuromarketing), would allow marketers to change overt consumer behavior by influencing emotional and rational attitudes, beliefs and motivations,” said Kogelschatz.
    “With the advent of neuromarketing, neuroscientists and researchers have been directing their expertise to marketing, using MRIs to analyze consumers’ brain activity when exposed to different stimuli,” said Kogelschatz. He said that companies like Google are using math to develop advertising strategies.
    While working at Modernista! in Boston, Kogelschatz started a band with three neuroscientists. During practice, the band mates would often talk about neuroscience. This led Kogelschatz to start rethinking his beliefs on advertising and science. “I often thought about neuroscience in relation to my research and experience in advertising,” said Kogelschatz. This led him to write the blog post titled “The Convergence of Cognitive Neuroscience and Marketing.” After the success of the post, Kogelschatz decided to submit a panel proposition to SXSWi.
    “My hope is that the panel audience will observe an in-depth analysis of the convergence of neuroscience and marketing and gain a subjective perspective on the topic based on emotional and rational information,” said Kogelschatz.
    Kogelschatz has extensively researched the convergence of neuroscience and marketing, digital music innovation, digital technology and urban revitalization. He is currently putting together his panel for SXSWi 2010. The panel will include innovative speakers in the areas of neuroscience, advertising and neuromarketing. Kogelschatz’s panel will answer questions such as: what is neuromarketing? Is advertising an art or science? Is neuromarketing ethical? Will digital marketers become scientists and mathematicians or will creativity triumph?
    For more information about Eric and his work, please visit www.erickogelschatz.com

Food Hacking 101

Do you want to retrofit your oven to bake pizza's at 900 degrees? Would you trick out your Brita filter for better vodka? Do the words methylcellulose, maltodextrin, or meat glue make you giddy? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a new hobby called food hacking. Jeff Potter is a food hack. He's the creator of Cooking for Geeks, a blog dedicated to the idea of epicurean experiments.

What is food hacking? As Potter explains, it's “using unusual tools or techniques or ingredients to make something yummy.” He can't remember a time when he didn't cook. “I've cooked all my life, and my approach to cooking is really based on intuition and experience that I was fortunate to learn from my parents, who loved to cook,” says Potter.

Potter feels he's never really had a bad experiment. “There are certainly things I've made that tasted bad, but from an experimental perspective were great successes, because I learned something,” says Potter. “You know the saying ‘in theory there's no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is?’” Potter asks. “I think I get the most satisfaction out of experiments where theory and reality line up--where I expected to see something happen from a theoretical perspective, and went to test it, and sure enough, spot on,” says Potter.

One of the theory-meets-reality experiments in Potter’s forthcoming food hacking book, is about collagen in stewing beef. As Potter describes, “collagen is one of the longest molecules in the body, and it takes a long time to unwind, break down, and hydrolyze. You can see this by cooking stew beef and checking it after it's been simmering for 15 minutes and then comparing that to stew beef that's been simmering for 6 hours--they're both at the same temperature, but the 15 minute stew beef will be tough and dry (due to denatured actin proteins) whereas the 6-hour version will be tender and flakey as the collagen converts to gelatin and masks the dryness of the denatured actin.” Potter continues with a tip, “oh, and by the way, you want lots of collagen in beef stew--trying to make beef stew with more expensive cuts of meats that are lower in collagen actually makes for worse stew.”

Potter explains that rethinking heating methods allows for new ways to cook some of our favorite foods. Salmon poached in a dishwasher or cookies baked in a waffle iron sounds unusual, but actually is just unconventional according Potter. “Once you understand the mechanisms for these sorts of things, suddenly you're free to wander away from a recipe and be confident that what you're doing will work,” says Potter.

“It's a great place to share what I've been working on, and a great place to learn what other people are working on!” says Potter when asked about his upcoming panel at the South by Southwest interactive conference in March. His first book “Cooking For Geeks,” due out in 2010 (hopefully in time for SXSWi) by O’Reilly Media. Potter says, “the book really isn't a list of food hacks in as much as it is the frameworks that would allow someone to go play and try new things.” So, get your blow torches, dry ice, and goggles, and get ready to try something new in your culinary laboratory!

SXSW Panel - Black Blogging Rockstars

What we know as the blogosphere is starting to change. Maurice Cherry of 3eighteen media might say it’s becoming bigger, better and blacker.
While past panels at SXSW (like “Blogging While Black” and “Digital Urbanites”) have shown that Black bloggers and bloggers of color are becoming more prominent and well-known in the media, Cherry’s panel “Black Blogging Rockstars” will attempt to take a look into the future of Black blogging.
By looking at the pioneers and thought-leaders of the Black blogosphere the panel will also attempt to answer the question, “What does is mean to be a black blogger?” The panel will feature discussion on trends, stereotypes and blogging on Black celebrities as well as the current recognition for black bloggers. Here's what Maurice said we can expect from “Black Blogging Rockstars.”

1. On your website it says that you have put on the Black Weblog Awards, you own 3eighteen media and are the Chief Strategy Officer at Relate Media Group. It seems like you are a pretty busy guy. Do actually have time to blog? If so, can you tell me about it?
I do find time to blog every now and then -- currently I'm a contributing editor at Techdrawl and a writer for Black Web 2.0 on top of my other duties. Generally, I report on tech startups and entreprenuership by African-Americans, Africans, or companies located here in the South.

2. What cool things can people expect from the panel? What do you want them to take from it?
I think people will get to see new, fresh African-American faces who are doing big things in the world of blogging and beyond. I promise not to make it a boring, pedagogical-type panel (personally, I hate those!). This is not a 'Blogging 101' type of panel. What I want people to take from it are ways they can either enhance their own brand or blog and the kinds of opportunities which can are available.

3. Which are some of your favorite blogs to read?
Right now, I fluctuate between about 200-300 blogs in my Google Reader in a number of different categories. Some of my favorites include Soulbounce, Crunk and Disorderly, NOTCOT, Kicks on Fire, Lifehacker, Smashing Magazine, Blackfolks (a LiveJournal community), and Acquire.

4. Why is it important to have a panel about minorities and blogging?
For the past few years, there has been at least one panel available at SXSW concerning minorities and blogging. These have generally been discussions on identity, race, and how that hashes out in the general blogosphere. I think it's time to move the conversation past that and look at those who have succesfully carved out a niche for themselves in the blogosphere and help illustrate to others how they can do the same. While the title of the panel is "Black Blogging Rockstars", the things people can learn in this panel won't just be for Black people.

5. Do you think the black blogosphere has been ignored by the mainstream media? If so, why?
In large part, I think so. The mainstream media is still just beginning to accept, use, and integrate blogging into their own programming. In this respect, entertainment programs like Extra and Access Hollywood are a little more forward-thinking when it comes to including and discussing blogs, but they still mostly ignore the Black blogosphere. One of the programs which did give great coverage to and about the Black blogosphere was NPR's "News and Notes".

6. Do you think there are stereotypes attached to black/minority bloggers? If so, what are they?
You know...I don't think there are. If they exist, I certainly haven't thought about them. Bloggers are bloggers. What they blog about may give them some sort of a bias to others, but overall, I don't feel that Black or minority bloggers are stereotyped. I think if you're online and blogging, you're already a step above the rest.

7. What do you think the continued growth in multicultural and multiracial blogs on the Internet will do to the future of media in general?
I certainly feel that the growth in multicultural and multiracial blogs will start to fill the voids that we're seeing now in television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. As shows are cancelled and periodicals close their doors, people are going to start turning online to find the news or information they want. Bloggers can really start to make a name for themselves if they create portals of information for those underserved communities or topical niches.

8. What part does the “digital divide” play in this issue?
Given the ubiquity of computers and Internet broadband coverage, as well as the use of smartphones, Internet tablets, and laptops, I feel it's easier than ever before to get online and get connected. There are also a number of freely available sites to begin blogging, such as Blogspot, LiveJournal, or WordPress. If you've got five minutes, you've got a blog.

9. Can you tell me a little about your current role in Black Weblog Awards?

I am the Chairman/Founder of the Black Weblog Awards, an annual Internet event which showcases the best and brightest in the Black blogosphere in over 30 categories. The Awards have been going on since 2005. We have some great things going forward in 2010, so stay tuned!

The Commenter Ecosystem

As a self proclaimed “message board veteran,” I felt Kate Miltner’s panel was not only interesting but actually in my wheelhouse. I am a big sports fan and as such I have been known to banter with the fanatics of opposing teams as well as my own from time to time. In addition, I am also a news junkie who visits numerous sites for different angles and details regarding many topics. In this arena, I have grown to appreciate message boards for more than just being an avenue of expression or interaction. I am guilty of, on several occasions, deciding whether to read an article based solely on the number of comments. For some reason, consciously or not, I suspect the more people opine on a story, the more priority it should have, at least for me at that point in time.

Miss Miltner’s panel will explore the phenomenon that is the “commenter culture.” There is so much to consider of this still evolving community. The panel will discuss the role of the commenter as a contributor and an authoritative participant (for the self policing boards). Another a topic of discussion will be the concept of social capital and how it applies to this particular phenomenon especially when some media entities (Facebook Connect) may be shifting the structure in a way that blurs the line between the real individual and the message board character/persona.

Miss Miltner’s expertise in the social media realm should add perspective to the discussion; especially considering where this particular industry is headed. Professionals such as Miltner will have an integral in applying, or discounting the need for, social media and the various components and intricacies it creates for the medium.

Finally, the conversation will obviously reach the point where capitalistic interests are evaluated. What does this mean for the hosting sites and especially the advertisers? Have all options been considered, in terms of monetizing this arena.

Facebook and Teens with Dr. Rayne

Karen Rayne is a professor that teaches and explores a subject that might make most people blush. You guessed it; Dr. Rayne talks about sex. However, she doesn’t just talk about sex, she talks about talking about sex. In other words, Dr. Rayne tries to help people become comfortable talking about sex, and in being able to address important issues in sexuality. Currently, Dr. Rayne is preparing for a panel at the 2010 SXSW Interactive, which is held annually in Austin, TX.
At SXSW, Rayne will hold a panel discussion dealing in issues of teenagers and social media such as Facebook, MySpace, and other popular social media interfaces. Although the subject is not a simple one, Rayne suggests that there are important issues that can be addressed immediately such as the age verification practices. Rayne, however, understands making improvements will be no easy task: “The biggest media-specific issue I see is how to determine age via the Internet (other than clicking on the box "Yes, I'm over 13 or 18"). Doing this without violating the privacy of adults is complicated,” said Rayne.
More important, perhaps, is educating teenagers on the proper use of social media. According to Rayne, teenagers need to be educated on “appropriate online interaction and guidance on how to self-moderate and interact effectively and safely.”
The perceived problems that Rayne offers solutions to with teenagers and social media, however, are merely an extension of problems that already exist with teenagers and sexuality in general. Some of these problems persist well into adulthood, as one may notice when reading Dr. Rayne’s blog (karenrayne.com). Rayne states that students of all ages remain ignorant to many topics, which may be in large part due to taboos and discomfort in speaking frankly and openly. It seems many questions go unanswered because they were never asked to begin with. Thankfully, Dr. Rayne covers topics as light-hearted as “super-hero reproduction” to topics as serious and life threatening as rape and sexual abuse and offers a safe environment in which to grow and understand such personal topics.
Keep an eye out for her panel during SXSW 2010.

Web Framework Battle Royale

If the terms "Model View Controller" and "URL Mapping" are to you what "paper" and "plastic" are to the local grocery store bagger, then South by Southwest has a panel for you. If, on the other hand, "Content Management Systems" and "Caching" are as clear to you as the finer points of quantum physics, well, you might want to attend the panel anyway.

South by Southwest will feature "Web Framework Battle Royale," a discussion which promises to delight everyone - from the geekiest of programmers to those who think HTML is an extremely large shirt size. Leah Culver, a programmer with the social media-savvy company Six Apart, will head the panel.

Web frameworks, in the simplest of terms, are tools that assist in the construction of dynamic websites, enabling user input and interactivity. According to Culver, "most web frameworks don't interfere much with the design of the website. Mostly they are intended to make the request/response process easier by handling URL routing, form processing, templating etc." She also points out that although the title of the panel suggests a war between popular frameworks, "The competition aspect of the panel is really for fun. I don't think there is a clear "best" web framework. I think there may be a "best framework for the job" and I hope each audience member is able to determine for themselves which tool is best for their project based on the information presented."

As website interactivity and user-created content have developed into the gold standard of internet communication, the critical importance of tools such as web frameworks has become undeniable. Culver, relating the necessity of frameworks to the SxSW panel which she will head, says, "There's a point when starting a new website that you need to choose the tools for building that site. Maybe you go with the tools you already know or maybe you want to try out something new. The purpose of the panel is mainly to learn about a variety of web frameworks and expose some of their useful features," assuring that "Web Framework Battle Royale" will be a very informative and appropriate panel discussion.

Two SXSW Vets Come Back for More

This year’s South by South West conference will include two past panelists. Mr. Paul Boag, Creative Director of Headscape Web Design (http://headscape.co.uk/), will be speaking at the Pain Free Design panel. Mr. Reddington, Director of iShed and the Pervasive Media Studio (http://www.pmstudio.co.uk/), will be speaking at the Pervasive Games and Playful Experiences: Rendering the Real World panel. Below is the interview I had the privilege of having with the two Brits about the up coming conference.

Jesse: First off, what is it about the SXSW that caused you to accept another invitation? What made you come back for more?
Paul Boag: The honest answer is that I would be going to SXSW even if I wasn't speaking. If I speak I don't have the added cost of the ticket. The thing about SXSW is that it is where all those the web community gather. It’s a brilliant opportunity to learn new stuff but more importantly to spend time chatting with some of the best minds in the field. The hot weather is a bonus too when you come from the UK!

Clare Reddington: I have attended SXSW for the last two years, organizing funded delegations (that are funded by public money and UK companies apply for) from the South West of artists and digital media companies to give them an opportunity to research new business opportunities, view work, spot emerging digital trends. This year I decided to pitch a panel idea in as a way to get added profile within the Festival.

Jesse: Some in my class, including myself, will be attending the conference and creating a site around our experiences there. Can you give us a taste of what you'll be discussing?
Paul Boag: A lot of what I will be talking about comes from this presentation... http://boagworld.com/news/educating-clients-to-say-yes


Clare Reddington: Working for Watershed, a leading arts and media centre in the UK, over the last five years I have collaborated with many of the UK’s leading producers of pervasive games, located performance and interactive narrative. Last year I led the delegation of UK [creatives] sic who brought The Hat Game to SXSWi (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7943382.stm)

Whilst pervasive gaming has featured in previous SXSW [programmes] sic, we believe it is time for a more textured discussion around the social, cultural and economic possibilities of this incredibly exciting new form.

Jesse: Ms. Reddington, why do you think there aren’t more women in the gaming industry?
Am afraid I am not really qualified to speak on this, but I guess its currently a self fulfilling prophecy, women don't see themselves represented at the highest levels of the gaming industry so are not inspired to make a career in it. See http://www.skillset.org/skillset/press/releases/article_6286_1.asp

Jesse: Mr. Boag, how do you feel about net neutrality?
Like anybody who works regularly with the web I believe passionately that it should be accessible to all and should not be limited or censored in anyway. That said, many of the most successful companies on the web (Youtube, Facebook, Google) contribute little to the upkeep of the network. Over the long term this issue will need addressing.

Thank you both for your time and I look forward to seeing your panels this spring.

Rob Gonda of Sapient (a digital, advertising, interactivity and consulting firm) thinks that in the future, your refrigerator might be able to tweet that your’e running out of milk and butter. He aims to imagine the entire internet as a focus group in his SXSW panel “Real-time everything: the Era of Communication Ubiquity.” He’ll tackle issues of real time, focus groups, IPv6, user-generated content and the possibilities for the future through real-time tools.

So what is IPv6? IPv6 is the next-generation Internet Protocol version designated as the successor to IPv4. IPv4 was the first implementation in the Internet and still used today. It is an Internet Layer protocol for packet-switched internetworks.

Gonda will open up dialogue about the possibilities of the constant analysis of real-time information sharing, visualizing trends, comparing brands and making predictions with this information over time. What he’s really getting at here, is the possibility to monitor all this real-time communication to avoid using samples to represent populations - he conceptualizes analyzing the entire population instead of making generalizations about what we know from focus groups and control groups (aka samples). The implications of this idea are powerful.

Gonda posted this funny video on his blog about the death of Twitter, and the emergence of Flutter, a (fake/humorous) nano-blogging site. The eyeglasses are a great idea........ :)

Does he really believe Twitter is dying? No way. “In late 2008, Forrester Research estimated that Twitter had 4 to 5 million users,” Gonda said. “A Compete.com blog entry in February of 2009 ranks Twitter as the third largest social network behind Facebook and MySpace, and reporter it had roughly 6 million users and 55 million monthly visitors.”

Check out his blog at RobGonda.com or Takemetoyourleader.com (The later has tons of interesting information about trends in marketing, consumer behaviors, technology and social media.

I Don't Trust You One Stinking Bit (Chris Brogan, New Marketing Labs)

In a panel called "I Don't Trust You One Stinking Bit," Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs will discuss the importance of what gives people confidence on the web and how his company can help any business create a company that users will love.

Chris Brogan is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller for his new book Trust Agents. Chris has been using social media and technology for years now to help companies, businesses and organizations build reliable online relationships with their users. Brogan's blog has been in the top 10 of the Advertising Age Power150 and the top 100 on Technorati, making him known as a leader in social media. Brogan also consults with fortune 1000 companies on their social media strategies. New Marketing Labs was created by Brogan to help companies revamp their business by integrating social media into their marketing strategies.

For this panel several questions will be discussed concerning on-line confidence and what businesses could do to ensure their users feel safe. Questions such as "Why do we trust people online? and What makes us trust companies?" Followed by questions such as "What are the consequences of misplaced trust?" "Why trust can be easier to develop on the web than off," "What is social proof?" and finally "What makes a user want to embrace and spread your message?" Brogan is most excited to talk about his new book Trust Agents. The book talks about how to build attention, reputation, and trust in this age of uncertainty. Brogan thinks that SXSW will be the very best crowd to talk about the issues in his book in a bigger way. "I'm always happy to speak to groups of smart people. My company thrives in the social software space, so this is my people," Brogan said.

From all the comments made on the panel picker it seems that people are extremely excited to hear Brogan speak. He speaks all over the United States, so this panel is sure to be interesting. When asked what he loved most about his job he replied,"It's my chance to really share with the world an execution experience instead of just my ideas. I blog about my ideas. This is my chance to do something with those ideas in the real world."

SXSW 2010 Preview: The Brain as a Computer Interface

In a panel conversation called Is The Brain The Ultimate Computer Interface?, contributing editor for Scientific American and freelance science writer Christie Nicholson will address trends that sound outlandishly futuristic but actually aren't far from becoming a reality.

Accepted in the first round of selections for SXSW 2010, this panel will tackle such questions as “How close are we to enhancing humans with an ability to control machines?” and “What are the positive medical outcomes of controlling machines/materials with our thoughts?” By discussing the kinds of developments that have already occurred – such as scientists’ ability to create a functioning artificial hippocampus in rats (essentially making it possible to create memories related to motor skills) – we can better prepare for what the future may hold.

Like many of us, Nicholson finds the possibilities of “brain-hacking” to be “amazing and scary,” but points out the specific positive effects these technologies may have in the medical realm. Recent innovations (as recently outlined by 60 Minutes) “are providing hope for paralyzed people to communicate, walk and function in ways never thought possible.” Individuals suffering from memory and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s stand to benefit from further research in this area as well, as do those with Parkinson’s and even depression. According to Nicholson, “medical uses provide a powerful argument for harnessing” these technologies.

Power demands responsibility, of course, so Nicholson will also discuss ethical and social considerations during her presentation. Nicholson believes that, eventually, “a board comprised of leaders from different industries” should be assembled to establish ethical guidelines, but for now, “the first thing we need to do is understand what technologies exist and function today and who is funding what research.”

We are only beginning to understand how our brains work and how we may apply technology as a means of control and improvement, making panels like “Is The Brain The Ultimate Computer Interface” (and SXSW in general) not only informative, but essential.

Entertainment biz attorney: ‘Don’t get sued!’

It’s a nightmare scenario: a young entrepreneur or artist sets up a Website to distribute the product of her years of hard work in the arts scene, only to find out she doesn’t have the rights to that work.

Attorney Robert Strent, a partner at Grubman, Indursky & Shire, PC will host a panel at South By Southwest called “Don’t Get Sued! A Guide for Content Creators” that will give creators guidelines for staying out of legal hot water and hanging on to their intellectual property.

Strent is an entertainment and media lawyer who represents clients in all aspects of the industry—writers, directors, actors, Websites, brands and authors. His clients range from start-ups to large media companies, and emerging artists to A-list talent.

Retaining the rights to an artist’s work often involves having sound legal documents drafted before an artist “makes it big.”

“Basically, it is critical that content creators be able to demonstrate that they own, control or otherwise have the right to exploit their content in the media in which it is currently being exploited and in the media in which the entrepreneur may want to exploit it in the future,” Strent said. “In order to determine what documents you need, you have to look at how the content was created and what elements are embodied in the content.”

Content creators can incorporate other artist’s work into their own—provided they have a legally-binding agreement with the owner of that intellectual property. The panel will discuss the documents relating to work done by a third party, including writing agreements, agreements relating to the creation of designs and logos, acting agreements and individual appearance releases.


The panel will also explore other avenues of acquiring the rights to third-party work, such as employing fair use exceptions in copyright law and using material that is in the public domain.

Strent said he looks forward to the chance to head a SXSW panel because of the festival’s multimedia focus and the youth and dynamism of the arts scene in Austin. He encourages young artists to establish solid legal ground for their content before they make it big and legal matters become more complicated.

Other panelists will include Koethi Zan, senior vice president of business and legal affairs at MTV, Luke Paglia, associate general counsel at American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. and Joshua Sussman, vice president and general counsel for programming at IAC/InterActiveCorp.

Writing Web Content For A Living

Tiffani Jones owns Second and Park (http://secondandpark.com), a web writing business, and a SXSW panel, titled “Writing Web Content For A Living.” She focuses on copywriting and content strategy. Before starting Second and Park, Tiffani was a community/marketing specialist and project manager at Blue Flavor, and attended graduate school at the University of Chicago. She started to write the website a couple years ago, when she was working at a design agency. This agency needed someone who writes copy. She always wanted to be a writer, so she loved to do it. Because of that, she took some classes related to writing. She said through these classes, she grew from there.

Second and Park is her web writing and content strategy business. She started Second and Park as a practical way of exercising her entrepreneurial side because there is a great need for good web writing out there. For her business, she said “web copy is writing that makes peoples’ websites easier to use and navigate, more fun to read, and more compelling.” The writing also could involve taglines, product descriptions, and interaction on the page.

Even though many people focus on design and new technology, when people surf the web, they are looking for content, most of which is written. Therefore, good web copy helps businesses and organizations communicate who they are and what they do in a way that makes people want to stick around. In addition, good web copy makes a website easier to use and navigate.

To become a web writer, she said the most important things are knowledge of basic design, user experience principles, and the basics of good copywriting. She also mentioned that how to write for the web is different and grammar fundamentals are a good place to start. Finally, she gave some advice for new web writers; “Write a lot of web copy! Start reading about it (A List Apart is helpful.), and familiarize yourself with the best web copywriters out there- I took one at the school of visual concepts in Seattle. Once you have the basic principals down pat, start practicing. Rewrite copy for free, and see how it feels and if you like it. There are also classes out there which can be very helpful.”

The Digital Divide

The digital divide is not simply about the “haves” verus the “have nots,” or, those who own a computer versus those who don’t. According to Jessamyn West, the organizer of the panel, How The Other Half Lives - Touring The Digital Divide, it’s not merely about access to the technology, it has become a necessity to know how to adequately use it as well. She believes that, in America today, literacy isn’t just about being able to read, write, and numerate; one must also be able to operate a computer, or, be “tech literate.”

She came up with the idea for the panel after attending SXSW previously and noticing attendees and panelists discussing how everyone is “totally plugged in and networked and how great that is.” West says, “I wanted to make the digerati aware that there are still people in America who are not online, who don't get what all the fuss is and who may be using their websites or interacting with their technology, but don’t really know what they’re doing. We have to create genuine options for them as well.”

West notes that, “many jobs, even non-tech jobs require you to apply online.” She also points out that the government, at the national and local level, likes to “communicate and exchange information online.” She cites as an example, Hurricane Katrina. “In post-Katrina New Orleans when FEMA was requiring people to fill out requests for assistance, they could do so either online or via the phone. You can guess how easy it was to get through on the phone lines,” said West.

West points out that, while we have made some gains in closing the technology access gap, there is still more that needs to be done to train people how better to use the technology. “People oversimplified by saying ‘poor people don't have computers, let's give them computers,’ then we realized this was only part of the battle.”

Ms. West, a librarian in Turnbridge, Vermont, says that libraries are one place people, who may not otherwise have an opportunity, can get the chance to learn how to use a computer. “Public libraries are in some way filling this void and this is where my interest in this topic really started. I do a lot of direct tech instruction and education where I live in rural Vermont,” she said. And, it’s not just in rural communities, she notes that, “librarians in New York city face similar but different challenges with urban users who often have cell phones but no computers.”

She vows that her presentation, “will be a punchy, fact-based look at what the real challenges are facing people on the other side of the digital divide now that we're past the ‘people don't have computers’ stage and into the ‘people have no connectivity’ stage and facing the ‘people don't know what to do with the internet once they've got it’ stage.”