Web 2.0 Expo

Right now I’m debating about going to the VC2.0 session or the session on tagging.  Not sure.  Now, the keynotes.  I just hope that there is power in the room because I’d hate to run out of power halfway through!

If you’ve been following along, I’ve been interviewed by WebProNews and appeared (twice I gather) on Jeremiah’s live web feed.

Talk about living a public life!

Regardless I’m not setting records here for posts, but always enjoy doing this.  Of course I also like taking some time to let it all sink in.

One thing that I think will be important for Rick and Dave to do for BlogWorldExpo is almost to have a newbie track and a geek/techie track.  There are so many people who are dying to learn all about this stuff.  And that shouldn’t be discounted or looked down on.  We all depend on a continuing uptake, adoption, and acceptance of Web 2.0.

But it would be awesome to have a track where all us experienced people can hang out and talk shop and start pushing the boundaries of this medium.  Oh right, that’s what the unconference mashups are about.  Duh.

Yeah, I’m hopping around.  But this could be interesting … people are introducing themselves at the moment.  Which is interesting, cause it’s great to meet new folks.

What’s going on?  Dunno yet … I’ll let you know … assuming my battery holds out!

Ah, community.  What is a community, what defines it, what guides it, what rules it.

You know I think the network folks are blocking port 80 and other web-based things.

OpenID … right from the horse’s mouth …

For the quick and dirty, it’s a single sign-on idea, something more open than Sxip I think.  I just have to keep listening and stop fussing with my lack of net connection!

The Highlander Problem … there can only be one.  Does providing more information voluntarily (address, phone) lead to a death of privacy online?  Because it’s easy and it’s there, will it become required.

Yes, juicy stuff here.  How do you manage your identity online?  Here’s an interesting tie-in to this discussion.  When I’m dating I tell potential dates to just Google my name.  I got this tip from Chris Pirillo.  There are two sides to this.  Making it easy to jump from site to site and “know you” and making it hard for your information to be mis-used.  It isn’t the capability of the technology, it’s the use…Susan Mernitt.

Very interesting sides to this debate here.  Probably the most interesting stuff I’ve heard today.

Okay … I think that if sites start requiring more info than you want to give … you don’t give it.  You don’t register.  If enough people choose not too … then things will change.  Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong.

Tara just brought up the point that Canadians are willing to provide private data in exchange for better government services and benefits.  Yes!  See that’s it.  There is a risk reward system to all this.

What are the trade offs?  Where do you draw the line?

Chris Messina is pointing out the Flickr model of making private more of a default than MySpace where public is more of a default.

Well, I left the session to be interviewed by WebProNews … I’ll get you the link soon….

Man I love GA (Google Analytics) … it used to be Urchin…while I like other analytics tools for up to the minute stats, GA is awesome.

Starting off this the basics here.  The foundation stuff.  Have it, plan it, use it.  That’s the basics, really.

Google’s philosophy was to get provide great analytics and give it away for free to make the total user experience better.

Still on the basics here … which is fine, because I’d like to read a little e-mail and stuff.

Ah Web 2.0 stuff.  Yeah this is good.  Cool, I didn’t know you could embed GA code into Flash and Ajax!  Sweet!  Maybe this is over the heads of the folks here (it is a bit geeky).

There are simple ways to get info …

Again, I think the Community Roundtable and PodTech are going to be very interesting to all of you.

Hey, if you want to know about analytics … well I can certainly cover it.  Maybe later I’ll get into a reflective post later.

Just got a tweet that Jeremiah Owyang is streaming the Expo live … now I just have to find them!

New session … Media 2.0.  Speakers:

Charlene Li, Forrester Research
Oliver Muoto, VP, Business Development, vFlyer
Gabe Rivera, TechMeme
Ted Shelton, The Personal Bee
Rich Skrenta, Co-founder and CEO, Topix

Looking forward to meeting Charlene Li and Gabe Rivera in person (I have no problem going up to folks who I’ve e-mailed back and forth).

This is a panel discussion … just warming up right now.  I must have missed something … lots of talking about Google, Adsense and advertising.  Hmm.

I’m hoping they get to the whole moving of the MSM paradigm (yes, I can use paradigm in a sentence correctly).

On a technical note, the WiFi is pretty good, but a ton of geeks coming online and trying to post to their blogs … well that taxes any network!  Delayed posts are due to Net issues.  I’m not using my Berry modem down here in the States (the cost would kill me!)!

Okay why aren’t they talking about changes in the media model?  Why is it all advertising, acquisitions, and now SEO?

How is Techmeme changing how we consume media?  How is Topix changing the paradigm?

A very true statement: Google is the startpage of the Internet — Rich Skrenta.  It is building the audience that is key.

Charlene Li has made the most interesting point, we’ve moved from human editorial to algorithms…but the algorithms are made by people making editorial decisions.

Good question from the audience: Who will mobile devices change things?  Ted thinks that mobile access will be the final nail in the coffin of print media. Oliver, concurs.  Now Rich disagrees.  He thinks that the UI, how webpages are rendered for different devices.  There is a disconnect between how the content is rendered.  Oliver, and I agree, feels that it’s just a matter of technology and time.  People have to demand better, seamless links on mobile devices.  Me, when I set up a blog I use a mobile aware plugin that, I think, handles the links from say Techmeme mobile to my site mobile.  Now that’s something I’m going to have to test.

How can print media survive Web 2.0?  MSM, editorial decisions are made in self interest, a disconnect from what readers might what.  MSM will have to start looking to other sources of content … essentially tapping into BlogBusrt … use what bloggers are writing as content.  Makes sense to me.  The move from print to online versions of MSM … let’s also get away from the walled garden…I hate that.  Why don’t I link to maybe MSM online editions?  Because the links expire in hours, days, or weeks.  If I link to you, I need to know that it’s going to be there later.

See also Susan Mernitt’s coverage … very good!

Sitting here my first session: Blogs, Chat Rooms, Wikis, Oh My! The Yellow Brick Road to Online Market Intelligence.  The founder of Umbria is giving the talk.  I’m sitting on the floor, because there is power of course.

Gist: mining the blogosphere, in the most general sense, for marketing data.  Essentially doing what we blog marketers already know.

Ah the bias of traditional market research … so true.  This is part of the anthropological perspective of the observer effecting the outcome of the info you get.

There was a question posted previously about would I leave a bad session.  Okay this isn’t a bad session.  In fact for a newbie to the blogosphere, especially the marketing wonks.

The debate … should I find a session where I learn something or cover this?  Is this going to be news?

I think not … heading to Media 2.0!

It’s an awesome day here in Babylon By the Bay.  Sunny, bright, and eating pastries.  What better way to start off a full day of blogging.

Besides picking my first session of the day (I think I’m going to hit the Online Market Intelligence talk), first order of the day is to catch up with friends.  Ran into a bunch last night, few more on the street walking over from the hotel.  Gotta make sure I get those interviews scheduled!

I’ve heard good and bad about yesterday’s sessions.  Love to hear some feedback (no I haven’t read my feeds yet).

Hmm, maybe I should get to that.  Okay after e-mail.

Well, chalk it up to not reading things carefully.  I thought, incorrectly I see now, that the workshop portion of Web 2.0 Expo was today and the real cool stuff didn’t start until tomorrow.  Pity.  Well, I’m enroute, in the air from Victoria to Seattle at this particular moment, armed with a new Bluetooth adapter (getting my MoGo Mouse today!) and a couple new 1 gig SD cards.  Why two?  Well, one was for my camera.  The other was for my laptop.  Wanted to use it for ReadyBoost.  Sadly, for some unknown reason, this SD card isn’t ReadyBoost-ready.  So I have a freakin’ ton of storage space now for pics and other stuff (2 1 gig card, a 512 meg, a 256 meg, and a 16 meg).  If anyone wants to trade one of my 1 gig SDs for another 1 gig SD that can do ReadyBoost, I’d be very appreciative.

I haven’t been able to catch up on much in the way of news from Web2Ex thus far.  My Berry modem is great for e-mail, sucks for surfing (or RSS).  Victoria’s airport does have WiFi, but it isn’t free.  Seattle I know has WiFi, also not free.  Portland (yes this is a multi-hop jaunt) does have free WiFi and I intend to make use of it.

In other news, the Victoria Salmon Kings hockey team is on board heading to Anchorage for their next playoff game.  Shoulda know they were hockey players and not well dressed geeks with the playoff beards.

Descending into Seattle now … time to save and stow my laptop under the seat in front of me.

Yes, I really do like conference blogging.  Fellow conference blogger (and blogger in general) Josh Hallett wrote about conference blogging a while ago.  I’m a one man show when I do my blogging.  Well, sort of.  See I look for the other folks covering the conference as well and link to them.  Hey, I can’t be everywhere and getting other perspectives on the same session is always a good thing.  Des asks a good question though, what if you’re in a bad session?

One thing I’m still wondering about is what an official conference blogger should do if she/he starts to pick up that sessions are not going well, and/or participants are not happy with the way the event is proceeding. Should they blog that, fearlessly, or could that be seen as a breach of faith with the organizers? Could be an interesting point of discussion between the blogger/teamleader and the conference organizers.
Source: Business and Blogging – Blogging a Conference Professionally is No Cakewalk

Ooh, good one.  I hate to walk out on a speaker.  What if there are two great sessions on at the same time?  Well, let’s say what looks to be two great sessions … and one is bad.  Well, I think I’d have to close the laptop and move …

I guess you’ll find out soon enough, eh?