Topic: Culture
In the face of Hurricane Irene, New York City's website was overwhelmed by residents checking evacuation plans and searching for updates. Fortunately, the data on flood zones were available from other sources on the web. Rachel Sterne heads the City of New York's digital efforts. From providing WiFi in parks and libraries, supporting digital training for the underprivileged, running app competitions, making interagency connections, to setting up FAQs on Facebook and running Twitter hashtags, New York City government is connected.
Our long-term interaction with the web will be defined by six trends. These trends will will involve dramatic changes that will make computing more like what we are used to seeing in many of today's movies. Kevin Kelly explains why he believes that soon the internet will beneficially surround us in ways that most users don't imagine today.
It is hard to imagine getting advice on the future of publishing from the Cheezburger Network. Then again, questioning the status quo, and delivering what people really want, is exactly what Ben Huh has done. By using unconventional practices, he has built a group of very popular websites. So maybe it isn't such a surprise that they have published several hit books. In this keynote Huh discusses how they they engineered their books to be best-sellers.
Brains have bugs. Our memories can be faulty, emotions are hard to judge, and we're terrible at rating the value of anything. All in all, Paul Fenwick says, human minds make a lot of mistakes, and we're all easy to manipulate. Listing a number of studies, experiments, and business plans, Fenwick dives into how the mind works, where the mind goes wrong, and how businesses can influence people into buying their products.
The disruption of innovation has yielded as many opportunities for those prepared to take advantage as it has brought disruption for those unprepared to adjust. New businesses have been able to profit with solutions that solve problems or enable previously excluded people to participate on their own terms. Michael Jackson explores some history and characteristics of disruptive technology.
Dr. Moira Gunn talks about the life of explorer, George Mallory and his conquest of Everest with National Geographic's Explorer-in-Residence & Anthropologist, Wade Davis.
Dr. Moira Gunn learns about opportunities for non-profits from author and Senior Vice President for Edelman Digital, Brian Reich from his new book, Shift and Reset: Strategies for Addressing Serious Issues in a Connected Society.
Just picture trying to write a best-selling book if you had no marketing, no talent, and weren't a celebrity. Keeping in mind these challenges, author Kathy Sierra presents her formula for creating a highly desirable book for modern readers. Using personal examples, she explains her process for writing, but with a slightly different focus. Sierra explains how to shift the focus of publishing and in the process challenges everyone to consider their audience more completely.
Dr. Moira Gunn gets a fresh perspective on the how how digital technology is changing the nature of human self-expression from Jeff Jarvis, author of Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live.
Books aren't just books anymore. Books are multi-dimensional, and increasingly, not even in traditional book format. Different types of media are escaping their usual containers, and it is context, rather than just content, that is beginning to drive successful publishing. Brian O'Leary discusses the damage caused by a continued reliance on the 'container model,' in light of how much the Internet is changing all content. He also shares how to effectively use context.
