Missed Le Web 2009? C’est la vie!
More than 2,000 tech geeks from 46 countries descended on Paris for the #1 Internet event in Europe. I longed to be among them! So close, yet so far away. My “sure thing” tickets from one of LeWeb’s Gold Sponsors did not materialize and the last minute ticket price shot up to an absurd 2.000 euro per person (on the official site, not even ticket scalpers).
Instead of a trip to Paris, my Le Web experience was live streamed on the wall of our office in The Hague. Ustream is an amazing free service that broadcasts events in real time to the world, but Le Web by beamer light was no substitute for spending a few days in the City of Light.
Honestly, my colleague Lisa and I probably followed the speakers on the main stage more closely from the office than we would have Live at the event. But the opportunity to meet our online heroes and mingle with the participants was sorely missed!
The good news is that you can catch many of the Le Web video highlights (and lowlights) on Ustream.tv. Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, officially opened the LeWeb with his launch of much hyped new payment service, Square.
Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan delivered the keynote and created a buzz. She is the reigning most web savvy monarch. She effectively uses social media to connect with people and promote her causes, such as One Day One Goal. (Video below)
If you have a daughter, sit down together to watch the video of Ms. Google, Marissa Mayer, in action. She really knows her stuff and is an amazing role model, true talent and incidentally worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
If you consider yourself more corporate than start-up and even if you aren’t interested in tech or social media, Zappos Chief, Tony Hseich is required viewing for everyone! Tony talks corporate culture and happiness!
If you are still asking why social media, buy Trust Agents for yourself for Christmas and watch Chris Brogan on Trust.
Danah Boyd, Sociologist of the Internet and Microsoft Researcher presented an interesting perspective on visibility. Society is quick to blame the internet for creating problems like bullying, but research shows that the internet only makes the problem more visible, and the problem has actually decreased.
Tim Ferris delivered actionable tips to implement and test on your website and the message, never stop tweaking
Gary Vaynerchuck @leweb - The highlight was Gary pushing Loic to walk the walk and make LeWeb more interactive than one way presentations! Good point, it was bizarre to listen to 2 days of speakers without any Q&A from the crowd, (Loic doesn’t count).
Chris Brogan moderated a panel of experts on how brands and companies have to shift to “real time” marketing.
Lowlight alert. Late in the afternoon on day 2, there were two panel discussions on the main stage, both featured only angry white men. First, the Europe gang moaned about how much greener the grass is in The Valley than in Europe! Personally the whining was annoying, and I waited in vain for the panel to mention the lack of entrepreneurial spirit in Europe as a critical success factor.
The next panel, the Gillmor Gang, was even more painful to watch. If you insist, I recommend mute. Their arrogance and grumpiness are clearly conveyed with their sourpuss faces alone, no sound required!
Queen Rania’s Keynote:
Photo Credit: Bewilder2009
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Why is the most important tech the least tweeted?
Questioning tech in the waiting room of the Children’s Hospital…
I have a copy of “What would Google Do?” in my bag, but some days even Google doesn’t have the answers.
What is the definition of Tech anyway?
Is Twitter really the center of the universe?
How many iPhone aps are designed to save a life ?
Have we confused gadgets and gizmos with real innovation?
Why aren’t any med tech heroes known by name? Can you name one?
How can more techies be enticed to drive life changing innovation instead of developing status update features?
What if programmers at Zynga spent a few hours each week cultivating something more meaningful than FarmVille?
Isn’t the most important Technology, the kind you don’t read about on TechCrunch, but count on to be there when you really need it, especially for your 2 year old daughter?
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Cyber Monday Mania
Today is the big day, Cyber Monday, the day no one even knew existed until Thanksgiving rolled around this year. Unlike most fabricated holidays, this one was invented not by Hallmark, but instead by National Retail Federation. The (American) media has been hyping Cyber Monday like crazy.
Network news thrives on speculation and they have filled hours of airtime with the “Cyber Monday Theory” to predict and explain potentially sluggish sales on Black Friday, the traditional kick-off of the Holiday Shopping Season on the Friday After Thanksgiving.
Today, many Americans go back to work after a 4 day weekend ( the only one on the calendar all year), and according to the media, millions will spend their day shopping for bargains online. With over 8 billion minutes logged on Facebook alone every day, the staggering amount of time people spend online at work is a plausible indication that many people will, in fact, be sitting behind their desk shopping. According to the NFR, 88.2 million Americans will shop from home on Cyber Monday while 13.5 percent, or 13 million people, will shop from work. Cyber Monday was “Invented in 2005″ and while online shopping increases significantly every year, Cyber Monday has yet to break any sales records.
The media could be applauded in their efforts to stimulate the economy, but with the American Tradition of financing holiday spending with Credit Card debt, the applause might be misplaced. According to the National Retail Federation, unemployment above 10% means that price trumps selection and convenience this holiday season, so people will go out of their way for a bargain.
In the current economy there is less hype about “must have products in limited supply” and without scarcity, people may take their time to see if prices come down closer to Christmas. One big benefit of online shopping for consumers is the ability to research products as well as prices and not be limited to the offers in their own vicinity. Better educated consumers are less likely to be running around town chasing “advertised specials” if they can find the same deal on line. The convenience of shopping online and the abundance of free shipping offers, make online shopping a no brainer.
Over 80% of retailers are offering special Cyber Monday deals, so even if you are like me and normally prefer to wait until the last minute to select that perfect Christmas Gift, you might be tempted to check out the sales? Warning, searching for Cyber Deals can be hazardous! My orders have already been placed to Illy and Lego too. I even happened to stumble upon the perfect gift (for myself) while researching this post, my husband was sitting next to me at the time, so he considers himself lucky to click “add to cart” on Amazon instead of searching through the shops for a gift. Don’t forget, they sell more than books, Amazon also sells Jewelry! What crazy deals have you found online today?
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Jargon as a Deadly Weapon
Conversations between colleagues can be more difficult for an industry outsider to decode than an obscure foreign language. Jargon and acronyms should be avoided in Business Communications, but for many people it is a hard habit to break.
Here’s an example of jargon gone wrong that might get a belly laugh out of you, and at the very least, remind you not to assume that “everyone” knows what you mean when use jargon.
B2B is a common abbreviation for Business to Business sales or marketing. Imagine the comedy and horror that could ensue when a Business Owner, in industrial sales no less, comes across the acronym in a trade journal and misinterprets B2B to mean Belly to Belly!
The cringe factor escalates when the Boss adopts this trendy new buzz phrase and spreads his newly found wisdom throughout his organization! The puzzled looks from the sales team as they are urged to get Belly to Belly with their clients can only be imagined if you have ever seen an episode of The Office.
Technology and Social Media are both jargon traps, increasingly difficult to avoid as the tools and terms rapidly evolve. It may be comfortable or refreshing to encounter people “who speak your language”, but make sure your lingo isn’t putting too many people off, or even worse, making them look (or feel) like a fool.
People want to do business with you if you know your stuff and they like you, making them feel stupid won’t necessarily help. Explaining industry terminology without sounding condescending can be a fine line. How do you avoid the jargon traps?
Photo Credit ijiwaru jimbo
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