We’re big fans of Steve Paikin and Mike Miner and what they do with The Agenda, and we’ve been delighted to work with them for a couple of years now at mesh. For those of you who couldn’t attend their session at #mesh11, here’s the show. Enjoy!
The final day of #mesh11 was off to another great start with a packed house and creative energy flowing.
Photo Credit: Mathew Ingram
We kicked it off with a keynote conversation with Mark Surman, the executive director of the Mozilla Foundation. Discussing the future of an open web with mesh’s Mark Evans, Surman explained how Mozilla organized a distributed and global workforce of volunteers to produce the Firefox browser. Surman noted that the Internet is changing the way work is and can be done, and that companies are increasingly adopting some of the methods Mozilla helped pioneer, including clearing business practices, transparency, mentorship and working around time zone differences.
Notable Tweets:
@adaoust13: Treat everyone as if they are an asset says @msurman #mesh11. Too much of our management philosophy comes from old corporate culture.
@meshconference: #Mesh11 @msurman: Clear business processes are essential for distributed or open-source models of working.
@RickWolfe: #mesh11 Mark Surman asked us, how many of you have installed Firefox for someone else? Answer: most of us. His point: That’s how it grew.
The second keynote of the day was with Gabe Zichermann, an author and expert on the psychology of games, motivation and behaviour. Zichermann argued that the principles of game design “provide the ultimate toolkit for those seeking to create engagement” because our brains are being rewired to respond to entertainment stimulus 24/7/365.
Zichermann noted that by applying the processes and tools of game design to marketing, marketers can provide positive and negative reinforcement to affect behaviour change in consumers.
Notable Tweets:
@meshconference: #Mesh11 @gzicherm: Progression & Mastery key to game design. Mirrors our real life journey to master (e.g. Financial, work, etc.)
@David_Blumer: You must have a product market fit before you attempt to add a game layer – gamification can amplify this fit but not make it #Mesh11
@meshconference: #Mesh11 @gzicherm: social games beat television (U.S.) in terms of time spent and engagement. We love games.
Following another delicious lunch [is it just me or is this conference food actually great!], we kicked off the afternoon panel sessions. So many great panels and so little time! Here’s a recap of a few panels we attended:
How Do You (Or Can You) Measure Online Influence? – David Armano and Valeria Maltoni
This jam-packed session broached a hot topic among the digital marketing crowd: how do you find, outreach and measure online influencers? David Armano and Valeria Maltoni, both considered “social influencers” themselves, took the stage to discuss. A key takeaway is to identify influencers based on the topics they talk about, not only their reach. Armano highlighted that Twitter lists should not be overlooked to find influencers. They allow you quickly judge reach and the categories users are listed under will give you a sense of what they talk about. Other tools mentioned during the session include: Klout, Sulia, Traackr, Twylah, PeerIndex, Radian6 and SocMetrics. Unfortunately no “one” catch-all tool exists to measure influence; the focus remains on research, trust and credibility.
Notable Tweets:
laurenonizzle: Great way to tell if someone is actually a “guru” = Google them. “It’s not Rocket science” -@Armano #Mesh11
@meshconference: Art of influencer outreach: 1. Identify influencers 2. Engage 3. Create influencer management system @armano #mesh11
The Business of Apps – Kevin Restivo, Farhan Thawar, Ingrid Kelly & Jerome Carron
Next up, Kevin Restivo, Farhan Thawar, Jerome Carron and Ingrid Kelly took the stage to talk about the business of apps and the app ecosystem. Much of the conversation was around the various platforms and how to choose which platform to develop for. While it might be obvious to some, be sure to ask the group you want to engage with which type of device they use to determine a preferred platform. Another key insight was on app monetization: keep in mind that a $1 app may be easier to sell but will also require increased customer support mechanisms versus a more expensive app that may sell less, but require less servicing. Essentially, with either option your profits may net out.
Notable Tweets:
@mattfrehner: Leaving aside the native v. HTML5 debate, consumers just *expect* to find your brand in an app store. #mesh11
jasondoucette: #mesh11 business of apps insight from @fnthawar on mobile app discovery & seo: we’re in 1997. It’s the Yahoo stage.
F-Commerce turning “Like” into “Buy” – Janice Diner
Janice Diner led a great discussion on the significance of the Facebook “Like” and how it translates into a purchase. With 160 million Facebook users, it’s obvious that people are talking about brands online and sharing their opinions and recommendations with friends. Marketers have an opportunity to leverage this into a full user experience. Janice discussed using Facebook Connect to allow users to make purchases. A key take away from her session is that users who like your page are more likely to engage with your brand, be passionate about your brand and even more importantly, purchase products or services offered by your brand.
Notable Tweets
@antderosa: 21% increase in money loaded onto Starbucks cards after adding card management to Facebook, totaling $1.5 billion #Mesh11 #FCommerce
@JessDavidson: 20 per cent of all page views and time spent online in Canada is on Facebook #mesh11
Although #mesh11 is wrapping up, the content shared from speakers and panelists has hopefully inspired you to push your limits, think outside the box and action some of your key learnings from the conference – in other words: connect.share.inspire.
Be sure to join us for a celebratory toast at the Wrap Party sponsored by Edelman at The John Labatt Pub!
Edelman is a founding sponsor of mesh and proud supporter of Canada’s premier web 2.0 conference. Blog posts and Twitter updates are brought to you by @davidakermanis, @midnighthaircut @lowflowliving & @melissaretty from the @edelmanTO team. Edelman is the largest independently-owned communications firm in the world. For more information, check out Edelman.ca
We’re back! This morning, we kicked off #mesh11 at our brand new space, the Toronto Allstream Centre. The new space has allowed us to expand like never before, with an expected 700 attendees coming through the doors today and tomorrow. Not only do we have room for more people, but we’ve also added the “mesh village” – an interactive space that showcases our partners and all they have to offer – a place where you can: connect.share.inspire.
This year’s mesh started with a keynote from Emily Bell, the former director of digital content for the United Kingdom’s Guardian newspaper — who is now the director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University. During her discussion with mesh’s Mathew Ingram, Bell discussed the challenges faced by traditional media in today’s digital world. Bell noted that the new ways in which we are communicating with one another online will force media to adopt new models in order to cope with changing realities and that old models of journalism would likely become unsustainable in the years to come.
Notable Tweets:
@Meshconference: #mesh11 @Emilybell: Smaller sustainable network-driven model is the future of journalism.
@ThomKearney: Bell: future of media is many small news organizations with lower margins #mesh11
@Meshconference: #Mesh11 @Emilybell: Aggregate or die. Brands have to act as the web acts.
The second keynote of the day was from The Citizen Lab’s Ron Deibert, who provided attendees with a shocking look at how state control and surveillance of the internet is laying the groundwork for a ‘perfect storm’. According to Diebert, “States are adopting repression 2.0 just as quickly as activists are moving in the other direction.”
Diebert called on attendees to pay special attention to forthcoming open access legislation in Canada, noting that if we were to pass such legislation without proper oversight we would lose our moral authority to criticize other regimes that adopt such practices.
Notable Tweets:
@MGeist: Deibert: If we pass lawful access (disclosure w/out ct oversight), lose moral authority to criticize when others do it #Mesh11
@TJGoertz: We (Canada) should be leading the way as a voice for an open commons of information. #Mesh11
After some delicious lunch we changed gears and moved in to workshop mode. Here is a selection of sessions we attended this afternoon:
How Adult Entertainment is Reshaping the Internet – Allison Vivas, Peter Nowak and Patchen Barss
One of the more risqué sessions this year discussed the evolution of online adult entertainment. Allison Vivas, Peter Nowak and Patchen Barss took the stage to hash out what your business can learn from the online porn industry. Some key takeaways were to create a trusted online brand, engage with your community and foster human relationships online.
Notable Tweets:
christindal: Interesting parallels between porn and news: for one, consumers assume it should be free, so revenue model is broken. #mesh11
thehartley: One of the bright sides of the Web for the adult industry, it encourages porn stars to become entrepreneurs #mesh11 @peternowak
How to Handle Online Comments and Community – Jennifer MacMillan
Next up we had Jennifer MacMillan, Communities Editor at the Globe and Mail, who talked about the transformation of its online community and comment guidelines. Before undertaking this online transformation, the Globe and Mail crowdsourced its user base to see what features they wanted to see. Their response was astonishing and has shaped today’s version of theglobeandmail.com, which receives over 13K comments per day on various articles. Jennifer had great advice and shared five things she has learned about comments:
1. It’s all about the community (not you).
2. Engage. Listen. Respond. Act.
3. The more transparent and accountable, the better.
4. Keep an open mind.
5. Yes, people like options.
Copyright or Copyfight? What Lies Ahead for Canadian Copyright – Dr. Michael Geist
Following the yummy beer and nacho break, Dr. Michael Geist took the stage to talk about the evolution of Canadian copyright laws. Geist noted that although Canada is viewed as a “piracy hub”, we are amongst the 15 lowest rates for software piracy, at 28%. With a new majority Government in power, it’s hard to tell what the future holds for Canadian copyright laws. What we do know is that social media pressure is becoming more pervasive and will impact changes in copyright policy that will hopefully foster innovative work.
Notable Tweets:
@meshconference: “It’s hard to community-build when you’re community isn’t as big as you’d like it to be” @mgeist #mesh11
AvitaniaInTO: Excellent, inspiring talk by @mgeist at #mesh11 re: shifts in copyright protection and innovation. Makes me wish I could vote in Canada!
Hope to see you all tonight at the After-Party hosted by SMG taking place at The Lounge, 99Sudbury!
Edelman is a founding sponsor of mesh and proud supporter of Canada’s premier web 2.0 conference. Blog posts and Twitter updates are brought to you by @davidakermanis and @melissaretty from the @edelmanTO team. Edelman is the largest independently-owned communications firm in the world. For more information, check out Edelman.ca