The 2009 Massive Technology Show
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
The Massive Technology Show is Canada’s leading small business tradeshow and conference. This one day event shows companies with 1 to 250 employees how to embrace the power of technology. Massive is recognized nationally for its combination of practical, yet dynamic content. The informative technology displays, and the series of speaker presentations and panel discussions, make this one of the definitive events for small business.
Lindsay Smith, the CEO of Massive Media, opened the day by encouraging participants to explore the trade show and truly consider how the exhibits and panels could help a business save money and time. The exhibits were technology focused, while the panels were a mix of media, business practices, and tools for businesses.
Keynote speaker Rick Goossen, founder of Make Good and author of e-Preneur: Succeeding as a CrowdPreneur in the New Virtual MarketPlace, pointed out that crowdsourcing isn’t a new concept, it’s just become easier than ever before. Free social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter allow anyone to reach out and get the public involved in asking questions, problem solving, or engaging with a brand.
Goossen emphasized how pivotal it is to listen to the crowd. This may seem obvious, but social media conferences keep nailing this as a best practice, so obviously some people aren’t hearing it. Listen, listen, listen.
Goossen pointed to NowPublic and John Fluevog as two companies who are using crowdsourcing well. NowPublic is a participatory news network which mobilizes an army of citizen reporters (mostly untrained) to cover events globally. In twelve short months, the company has become one of the fastest growing news organizations on the web with citizen reporters in over 140 countries. John Fluevog Boots & Shoes held a contest in which anyone could be the designer of their next shoe. The woman who won wanted her shoes to represent her car, a Volvo. In the end her shoe was created, and she didn’t even win anything – other than bragging points of course!
The Leveraging Social Media for PR panel consisted of Jennifer Lowther from 6S, Julie Szabo from Capulet Communication and Rajan Sodhi from Peer 1. The panel explained how traditional PR and marketers can use Social Media to aid in the promotion of a brand, but they need to be careful! There are a certain “codes of ethics� in social media. Julie from Capulet Communication suggests reading Charlene Li’s post “Blogging policy examples.� (Written in 2004, these examples still hold true.)
MySpace Canada’s General Manager, Dave Stevens, the second keynote, admits to being on Facebook. He cleared up the MySpace vs. Facebook question really well (perhaps he’s heard it before?), explaining that MySpace brings people together through content discovery—for example, through a shared taste in music or films—while on Facebook, people typically befriend those they already know. Stevens said that MySpace ads are successful because they are highly targeted (as are Facebook ads), which leads to a better conversion rate. Some MySpace pages look over-the-top, but the (at times questionable) artistry that has gone into them translates to a visible badge of that user’s time investment. This investment adds value. These users tend to be proud of their work, and will share it with their friends, who will then show others. Stevens demonstrated how easily one can integrate their brand on a profile, as well as have a contest with incentives to promote a brand (Big Mac Chant).
More than one speaker at the conference stressed the importance of setting goals for new businesses and entrepreneurs embarking on using new media and new technologies. Businesses should determine how much they can handle, and establish their desired outcome. Answering these questions before embarking on a social media initiative, or buying into new technologies, will help companies with time management, and eventually measuring success.
LeGresley’s Takeaway: Technology and the media are growing at a staggering pace. Small and medium sized businesses need to know the best tools and most valuable tips in order to keep up!
More photos from the event on Flickr
April 4th, 2009 at 1:37 am
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