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May 16

Speaker Spotlight: Mesh 2011 Media Keynote Emily Bell

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We’ve got some good news and some bad news about the media stream at mesh 2011: the bad news is that Jeff Jarvis, who was scheduled to be our media keynote for the conference this year, has had to bow out — with many profuse apologies — because of an earlier commitment. The good news is that the equally excellent Emily Bell has agreed to take Jeff’s place as the media keynote, and we couldn’t be happier about it.

Emily is the director of the newly-founded Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and the former director of digital content for The Guardian in Britain. She was the editor-in-chief of the Guardian’s web operation from 2001 to 2006, during which time she oversaw such groundbreaking projects as the launch of the “Comment Is Free” open blogging platform — one of the first major efforts at crowdsourcing by a traditional media outlet — as well as the massively successful MP Expenses project, which saw 20,000 people comb through close to 300,000 public expense reports filed by members of parliament.

In addition to her job running the Tow Center at Columbia, Emily is a leading media commentator for a number of outlets, as well as writing on her own blog about the future of media and journalism online. During a recent presentation at Massey College in Toronto, sponsored by Samara Canada, she talked about her experiences at The Guardian and about how newspapers need to be “of the web, not just on the web” in order to succeed.

Emily has also written about how WikiLeaks represents a fundamental shift in the world of the media and journalism, saying: “If you follow the latest cache of diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks and reported by the Guardian, The New York Times and others it is impossible not to conclude that this is a pivotal moment for journalism, its teaching and its practice.” Bell went on to say that WikiLeaks represents “the first real battleground between the political establishment and the open web,” and that it forces journalists and news organizations to “demonstrate to what extent they are now part of an establishment it is their duty to report on.”

In addition to her keynote, Emily will also be taking part in a panel at mesh — along with The Economist’s digital editor Gideon Lichfield and Micah Sifry, co-founder of TechPresident and the Personal Democracy Forum — that will look at how WikiLeaks and others of its ilk are changing the nature of what we call journalism and media in the 21st century.

May 16

Love0

Eight Tips for a Great Conference Experience

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Having been to dozens of conferences and organized seven (mesh and meshMarketing), I’ve learned there is an art to having a great experience. With some planning, a good conference experience can be that much more better. Here are a few tips:

1. Look beyond the keynotes. Like a beautiful girl or a handsome guy, the keynotes are sexy, glamorous and capture a lot of attention. And while they may meet expectations, much of the real value at a conference happens on the panels and workshops. It’s where you get into the news-you-can-you sessions that deliver the goods that can implemented after the conference is over.

2. Leverage the breaks. By accident, we learned the breaks between sessions at mesh and meshmarketing have as much value as the sessions themselves. This is when people have time to meet, talk and exchange ideas. With nowhere to go until the next session, it’s the perfect time to soak in the atmosphere, immerse yourself in the knowledge and enthusiasm of other attendees, and create some new relationships and friendships.

3. Wear your name tag and make sure it includes your name, employer and Twitter ID. It’s a lot easier to meet new people if you provide them some easy to access information.

4. Drink lots of water. Operating inside a building all day with lots of other people is physically taxing so be sure to stay hydrated. I suggest bringing your own refillable water bottle; it’s not only environmentally friendly but makes sure you have a nearby supply.

5. Have a good breakfast. My mother always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day – something I still believe. This is particularly relevant at a conference in which a good breakfast – and a good night sleep – can give you the mental and physical energy to enjoy the day. And breakfast doesn’t mean donuts and coffee! It means yogurt, fruit, juice and water..and maybe a donut.

6. Don’t be afraid to approach the speakers after they have done their presentations. In many cases, speakers tend to stick around and, like you, they’re looking for good ideas and interesting conversations. A few rules of thumb: if they’re engaged in conversation with someone else, be patient and wait until there is a window of opportunity. If you enjoyed the presentation, let them know. And if you don’t agree with some of their assertion, that’s okay but do so politely.

7. Enjoy the social events and make it a point to strike up conversations with new people. After soaking in so much information, having a drink with other attendees is a great way to share ideas and relax.

8. Record the highlights of the conference on a blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube or Vimeo. It’s a great way to document the speakers and sessions that resonated and, at the same time, share your ideas and thoughts with people who were not able to attend the conference.

May 10

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Speaker Spotlight: Valeria Maltoni

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One of the luxuries of organizing mesh is being able to invite people that you think do great work. One of those people is Valeria Maltoni, who writes Conversation Agent, one of the leading marketing blogs.

I’ve been a big fan of Conversation Agent because Valeria sinks her teeth into some meaty issues, offering in-depth perspective and insight. When the opportunity arose to invite her to mesh as part of our influence panel, I was thrilled Valeria could make it.

Valeria is a brand strategist with 20 years of experience, including a decade on the Web. She’s worked with Fortune 500 and small start up companies in five industries, and specializes in taking companies to what’s next in their business cycle through integrated marketing communications, customer insights, and brand advocacy.

On the panel along with Valeria is David Armano, another well-known marketing blogger and a vice-president with Edelman. There’s little doubt we’ll have a great conversation about the role and importance of the influencer, which happens May 26.