Have you ever wondered what to do with all of that data you’re collecting, or how to really get the most out of your inbound marketing efforts? Maybe you’ve spent time wondering what SOPA and the online surveillance legislation mean for the future of the Internet. How is technology is changing traditional industries such as publishing, education and healthcare? These answers, and more, were provided at mesh conference 2012.
mesh conference 2012
I’ve just returned back home to Ottawa from mesh, a 2-day digital conference in Toronto that explores emerging trends and the evolution of the Web. Where most tech conferences are characterized by one-way keynotes in enormous halls, mesh was different. It offered an intimiate, interactive environment that felt like much more of a conversation than a presentation. Sure there were keynotes and PowerPoints – but there were also over 20 vignettes, panels, workshops and, of course, networking. Here are my highlights from mesh 2012.
Day 1
Wednesday kicked off with former LinkedIn employee DJ Patil who discussed managing massive amounts of data. He explained how LinkedIn used their enormous data set to bring value to their users, most notably with the ‘People You May Know’ feature that acts as a social icebreaker.
Clay Johnson, founder of Blue State Digital and author of The Information Diet, explored the notion that we are all highly informed, but not well-informed. In an age where massive amounts of information is available at our fingertips, we tend to “over-eat” poor information which leads us to suffer from “information malnutrition”.
The day continued along with a variety of interesting topics including a look into the incredible technology being developed around thought controlled computing, an examination of the future of book publishing in the digital world, insights into the implications of social media lurkers, the future of intelligent devices in the wired home and a session on e-learning and how digital is shaping education.
After lunch we got to hear from Jake Zien of Quirky, a site that helps amateur inventors bring their ideas to life. The idea is simple, yet brilliant. Submit your idea to Quirky, and other members of the community can make tweaks, suggestions or improvements until it is perfected. Once the product is ready to go, it gets put to the thresh hold test. Basically, once enough people agree that they would purchase the product at a certain price, it receives the go ahead to go into production, which is all handled by the Quirky team. And then the best part – the inventor, and everyone who worked on making it amazing, gets their percentage of the revenues. Before working for Quirky, Jake was actually a student who submitted an idea for Quirky’s best selling product to date – Pivot Power.
One of the highlights of my week was meeting Hubspot’s Co-Founder and CEO Brian Halligan backstage before his presentation. Relaxed and confident on stage, Halligan discussed the power of inbound marketing and how it has evolved over the years. “It used to be all about volume” he explains “but now we are seeing a shift towards quality and relevancy”. Through all of his advice and tips, Halligan’s general message was clear – it is all about content. “Don’t make it boring, make it remarkable.” He finished with one of the best analogies of the week. “Inbound marketing is like the gym. Too many people pay all of this money and never go. It requires constant attention and dedication. If you put in the effort, you will see results.” Well said.
Day 2
University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist was arguably the most captivating and inspiring speaker at mesh. So far in 2012 we have seen a significant rise in protests against proposed Internet legislation. Using examples of SOPA in the United States, ACTA in Europe, and the online surveillance legislation here in Canada, Geist has appropriately dubbed 2012 “The Year The Internet Fought Back”.
The intriguing morning continued with co-author of the bestseller The Cluetrain Manifesto, David Weinberger sitting down in conversation with mesh co-founder Mathew Ingram. The two discussed the need for networked forms of knowledge and collaboration online in a truly thought provoking and engaging session.
We then had the privilege of hearing from Dr. Mike Evans who explored how technology and the Web is changing diagnosis, treatment and management in healthcare. Dr. Evans captivated the crowd with his passion and insights into this new shift in healthcare and the modernization of the traditional doctor.
Sporting a plaid shirt, comically large glasses and a wicked mullet, Mark McKay took over the stage to provide his quick and dirty insights into the growth of Pinterest. His conclusion: Pinterest is basically Reddit for chicks.
Next, we split into smaller groups for a series of intimate workshops. I attended Social Media WTF? with Michael O’Connor Clarke, a session that explored the do’s and don’t’s of social media marketing. Clarke’s dry sense of humour and witty examples really pulled the audience in and helped make his points.
Day two rounded out with an exploration of email overload with Bruno Morency, building smarter cities with Jean-Francois Barsoum, and using Twitter for real-time journalism with NPR’s Andy Carvin.
mesh, in a nutshell, is all about big ideas, critical thinking, and emerging trends. It’s not often you get the opportunity to see some of the world’s best thinkers and innovators in one room. I left with not only a handful of great ideas, but with a new perspective on how things work and where we are headed in the future.
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