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Communities On The Move

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The rise of online communities is a key phenomenon of the first Internet decade. Whether running a commercial or not-for-profit community, this evening event will introduce you to the next generation of online communities. Outlining the main features of the landscape, it will inspire new forms of management and engagement...

One of the most striking and important phenomena of the first Internet decade has been the rise of online communities. Current and future developments in the field come under scrutiny in this evening event.

Emerging with the very first text-based platforms, online communities have been at the vanguard of change and innovation and instrumental in shaping the new media industry. Today, tens of thousands of communities function across email, websites, message boards and blogs, covering purposes and interests as diverse as human knowledge and interaction itself.

As we shift from the PC-based Internet to a range of wireless and mobile communication platforms and devices, scope for community activity has widened and evolved. For community managers, new opportunities for participation arise, combining ‘traditional’ virtual community features with the context of location, physical environment and movement. Still, the mobile world is a complex one, with a proliferation of platforms bringing different challenges alongside technical and managerial difficulties...

Whether running a commercial or not-for-profit community, this evening event will introduce you to the next generation of online communities. It will outline the main features of the landscape, and inspire new forms of management and engagement.

Speakers include:

Will Davies - Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Public Policy Research
Will Davies is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, where he runs the Digital Society programme. He is currently working on a 'Manifesto for a Digital Britain', to be published in Spring 2005. Previously, he worked on The Work Foundation's iSociety project, where his research focused on the relationship between communities and new media. He is the author of two iSociety reports 'You Don't Know Me, But...: Social Capital & Social Software' looking at new uses of the internet in supporting social networks, and 'Proxicommunication: ICT and the Local Public Realm' exploring uses of ICT in sustaining local communities.

Lizzie Jackson – Communities Editor, BBC
Lizzie Jackson trained in the performing arts for six years (including teacher training) before becoming a literary and theatrical agent. She went on to join the BBC World Service before moving to national radio. In 1991 she started her own independent radio production company. She moved into new media in 1997 when bbc.co.uk started, creating WebGuide and starting the BBC's online community. She is now one of the BBC's interactivity/community consultants, currently managing five new interactive presenters for BBCi - the subject of her doctoral research at the University of Westminster. Lizzie also co-runs Emint, the UK Community Managers' Association. In October 2004 e-consultancy.com and NOP World selected Lizzie as one of the top 100 Innovators of the UK Internet over the last 10 years.

Nick Lisher - Senior Producer, Interactive, MTV
Nick Lisher joined MTV Networks Europe in September 2000, focusing initially on MTV UK's web properties. In 2002 he spearheaded the relaunch of mtv2europe.com, a community based website offering viewers the chance to get one step closer to the channel. Nick was responsible for further enhancements made to MTV's award winning community services, including Photochat, a mobile community represented on air by the viewers' profiles and photos. Nick is currently working on enhancing MTV's social networking applications, with a view to offering the viewers a standalone property both online and on mobile media under the MTV brand.

Peter Larsen - CEO, Enpocket
Responsible for leading Enpocket's growth across the the Americas, Europe and Asia, Peter joined Enpocket as VP Sales & Business Development and developed Enpocket’s relationship with carriers such as Orange in addition to bringing Enpocket's mobile CRM product line to market. Prior to joining Enpocket, Peter ran business development and developer relations for Liberate Technologies Europe, a pioneering interactive TV technology provider. He previously ran Liberate's product marketing team in the US bringing several software products through the development lifecycle to market. Prior to Liberate, Peter was with Apple Computer, where he was Worldwide Business Manager for Apple's Powerbook division. He also worked as head of sales for LINC Computer in Japan. Fluent in Japanese, Larsen holds an MBA from Cornell University.

Todd Tran – MD (MINICK UK)
As Managing Director of MINICK UK, Todd leads the team that enables mobile services for companies and brands such as Big Brother, Channel 4, Universal Music, Sony Music, and CNN. Previous to MINICK, Todd was Managing Director of Flytxt’s Content Division, where he led the acquisition of key clients and the development of key products. Todd has also helped launch 10 technology startups as part of his tenure at a technology accelerator company in the Silicon Valley. Todd began his career as a strategy management consultant at internationally renowned Bain & Company. Todd is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.

EVENT TIMETABLE:

6.00pm: Introduction, Will Davies

6.10pm: Communities and Networks, Lizzie Jackson

At the last Online Communities Conference, Amsterdam (run by Infornortics), the big subject of debate was what is the difference between a Blog and a Message Board, or a network and an online community? To extend the confusion the Internet is, as we know, also becoming mobile! On Emint, the UK Community Manager's email list there are strong feelings with one camp preferring blogs and networks and - in the blue corner - others leaning heavily towards message boards and virtual environments. Is there a place for both, what is the difference?

6.30pm: Mobile - A New Blogosphere, Peter Larsen

Peter will talk about the emergence of mobile blogs (or mBlogs) and discuss why blogging from your mobile is going to be different from the online world. With the commercialisation of some online blogs already underway, Peter will reveal how some well-known brands are already creating mBlogs around events and products, or alternatively around sports, entertainment or topics that they know are close to their consumers’ hearts.

6.45pm: Wap Portals, Todd Tran

Mobile communities are rapidly growing in number and the mobile phone users are increasingly visiting them. These new communities are in the shape of WAP or Java-based mobile portals and they are distinctly different from PC-based communities in two main ways. Firstly, they are mobile and therefore are used often when people are on the move. This means the use of them is more spontaneous and the sessions are shorter (e.g. on the bus ride home). Secondly, they are more commercial. Content and community builders have learned a painful lesson on the internet where content and communities are basically free. With the ability to bill direct to the mobile phone without having to enter credit card details, content and communities owners on mobile have managed to charge users for using communities, usually on a fairly healthy price. This session will explore these issues and present examples of mobile communities.

7.05pm: Social Networks - A Brand Perspective, Nick Lisher

Nick Lisher, Senior Producer at MTV Networks Europe will talk about the opportunities available to brands facilitating social networks, particularly those embracing mobile media. Nick will also discuss why user generated content is held in such high regard by media companies.

7.25pm: Panel Discussion

7.50pm: Summary and Conclusions, Will Davies

8.00pm: Close

Report on the event.

Location

01zero-one, Peter Street, London W1F 0HS