b.TWEEN08 Conference Highlights – Day 2 – 20th June – Part 1
What a brilliant event! The highly anticipated b.TWEEN08 conference has come and gone and Manchester is richer for it.
Here’s what happened on Day 1. There is also a pretty good write up at the Manchester Evening News‘ The Mancunian Way blog.
Here is the first part of my conference highlights for Day 2. As before, I’ve tried to post my account of each speaker’s session in their own words using favourite quotes and notable points.
I’ve decided to type more of my notes than I did yesterday so this is a rather long post. You have been warned.
For this reason Day 2′s highlights will come in two parts. I will finish the riveting Aggregators & Integrators session and also report on the very interesting Channel 4 Cross Platform Innovation session in a follow up post. Update: Here’s the follow up.
Catch up on the rest of the conference at the B.TWEEN08 conference page on YouTube and on Twitter using the #btween and #btween08 hash tags.
Session: When Worlds Collide – John Newbegin, Strategy Consultant
I’ll have to confess that I was editing and re-editing Day 1’s conference highlights and posting tweets on Twitter during the best part of John Newbegin’s talk. It is testament to the fluid organisation of the conference that the wifi did not fail me once.
He made some very good points about the impact of culture on technology:
“1 in 10 digital media businesses in the North East characterise themselves as ‘businesses’ not ‘creative businesses’”.
They seemed to feel more comfortable characterising themselves as ‘creative networks’ and not businesses. The implication is that they lacked the confidence to position themselves as ‘businesses’.
In effect, ‘short term’ businesses are pushing at the forefront of fundamental change without really understanding what they are doing.
“Civilisation is a race between education and catastrophe.” He quoted someone here but I can’t remember who it was…
About understanding the implications of what we are doing.
“We are changing the way we work as human beings in quite a profound way and all this activity contributes to that and it’s important we learn the implications of this.”
Session: Censorship, Culture and Chinese Netizens – Kaiser Kuo, Group Director, Digital Strategy, Ogilvy (China)
China’s 3 day moratorium after the recent earthquakes there included a media ‘grey out’ (my words, Kaiser probably used a more appropriate phrase) during which all media was shut down and TV output was in black and white.
West framed it as information control by an authoritarian regime, sentiment echoed by well-known bloggers like Robert Scoble. However, in China the feeling was that this made sense during a ‘national period of mourning’ (my words again, Kaiser probably used a more appropriate phrase).
Disparity of reaction emblematic of massive disconnect.
Quarter of a billion Chinese on the Internet, largest internet audience by population.
“The West faces the rise of the rest.” Another quote I cannot credit, didn’t catch name of source…
Tibet upheavals, Olympic boycotts… Westerners are baffled at the hyper nationalistic types that fly to action at the slightest affront on China. Why do they take it so personally?
People think of China as synonymous with Internet censorship.
Assumption is that the Chinese are living in an information controlled environment.
Many annoyed with this idea in China. However, many aware of the subtle and not so subtle ‘oppression’ (my words again, Kaiser probably used a more appropriate phrase).
The real bugbear – “we (Chinese) need to lay out a bunch of caveats, historical context put into place before even going into detail about issues.”
NGOs should understand real issues of investing in China.
Chinese Communist Party – not good on nuance.
Anyone who’s lived in China knows that the Internet has changed everything. Pillorying Western companies on siding with the Chinese Communist Party doesn’t work.
A picture of the Chinese Internet landscape:
- Fully fledged
- 1.5 million domain names registered in 2007
- 8.4 billion web pages
- Dense
- Internet penetration among young people nearly 50%
- Average age of broadband users – 32 (10 years younger than the US)
- Instant Messaging (IM) dominates – “What’s your QQ number?” Email only for older people?
- 50% over 50s still use IM
It’s about an Entertainment superhighway not an Information superhighway.
YouTube, Joost clones abound. Music download, Internet TV driven community.
First public sphere available to Chinese citizens. First ‘online town halls’.
It all happens on the BBSs – online forums!
Not about ‘blogs’. BBS – anonymity is the norm.
Flaming commonplace, discourse little.
Cyber manhunts against the (perceived) offenders in society.
Be aware that this is mostly pimply teenagers, hyper nationalistic. Urges (Western) journalists not to jump into BBSs without taking in the bigger picture.
Internet addiction clinics because creative, works, memes all consuming.
Great Firewall of China easily circumvented using VPNs and proxy internet connections.
BBS are the firewall. To have an internet presence in China, you need to use a hosting provider within China. Beijing does not care how it (moderating?) is done, just that it is done.
“What is your dangerous idea?” book will not be published in China. (I think that’s what he said)
All in all, a very impassioned talk by Kaiser Kuo. He went on to win ‘Most Inspiring Person’ at the first b.TWEEN Awards and you can see why.
Finally:
Most Chinese feel that democracy is the goal, it is simply a question of how we get from A to B. Let’s make sure we all have food on our table and a roof over our heads (first).
He appeals to our understanding of the emerging Internet landscape in China and how it affects average Chinese.
“Opening the floodgates of information would plunge the country into chaos” Yet Another Uncredited Quote.
Most have experienced near chaos, student riots etc etc. The Chinese understand that this colossus has feet of clay.
If the words ‘fragile superpower’ were referenced to China in America, people would point out the word ‘fragile‘.
In contrast people in China would question/point out the word ‘superpower’.
The scale and speed of change unquestionable: average income per capita increased sevenfold.
Freedom and rights of internet issues in China should be won by Chinese.
80% of urban Chinese believe Internet needs to be censored.
“Before free speech we need free thinking” (Yes, once again another uncredited quote but you must admire the extent of my note taking!)
Westerners have to be free over thinking about China. Grasp their situation. Not always in need of saving.
Internet will be an instrument of war.
Empathy can go really far. This empathy will be the most important bi-lateral relationship over coming years.
UPDATE: There is a neat summary of Kaiser Kuo’s talk over at The Mancunian Way blog.
Session: Aggregators & Integrators – Kevin Bacon, Artists Without A Label, Carolyn Maze, MD, Fluorescent Media. Panel moderated by Richard Adams, Digital Strategy Director, Chemistry Communications Group
Carolyn Maze, MD, Fluorescent Media:
Fluorescent Media ['s proprietary technology PHOENIX] enables creative hooks for cross platform content development that can be taken to market using production companies.
Examples:
The Empire – Massive Multiplayer Multiplatform Game Show concept.
Master Kush – Interactive Comic Application. Music by Snoop Dog. Viewer created content drives comic strip.
Spore Creatures and Creators – Viral video campaign for highly anticipated life simulation video game Spore.
Fluorescent Media partner with creative talent, production partners, social networks, TV networks, brand partners, all using Fluorescent Media’s proprietary Phoenix technology.
Example of work with Dove: visual data tree feed into platform. Basic questions based on what brand is trying to achieve asked of user.
Kevin Bacon, Artists Without A Label (aka AWAL):
Was inspired by launch of iTunes. Distribute music for artists digitally, unique 1 page agreement. 3,500 artists, 80,000 tracks over £4million paid out per year to artists. Artists range from Shirley Bassey to Finlay Quaye.
Richard Adams, moderator, asks both panellists where the awareness for business need came from:
Kevin Bacon, Artists Without A Label:
Labels less involved in artist development. We now have punk. If Internet was available in 77, this world would be very different.
As far as rights go: AWAL own nothing. In contrast, major record labels own everything including website/domain name. At AWAL, the artist can leave any time.
Signed The Editors early on. Primary distribution iTunes who have 85% market share. They account to you within 2 days. Sales tracked online.
iTunes is great but we all worry that one day they could turn it off. Their focus is on hardware (iPods, iPhones, computers) not songs.
Carolyn Maze, MD, Fluorescent Media:
If you build it they will come. Tried to set up online chat system alongside a live interview with Madonna some years ago but the resistance was incredible. It has taken 15 years to get broadcast industry to understand that the commissioning model is dying…
Kevin Bacon, Artists Without A Label:
Doesn’t think labels will adapt. They will shrivel and die.
This is getting too long. Part 2 coming soon!
Where you there? Care to elaborate on any of the above?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Related posts:
- b.TWEEN08 Conference Highlights – Day 2 – 20th June – Part 2
- b.TWEEN08 Conference Highlights – Day 1 – 19th June
- b.TWEEN08 – Relegating Conference Q And A Sessions To The Dustbin
- b.TWEEN08 conference, PUMA Manchester Exclusive Gig And More
- Next Speaking Engagement: Marketing Tech Conference, London, March 31st
