Notes on the Summit

I attended the Nevada Interactive Media Summit held at the Reynolds School of Journalism on Saturday. Is it possible to suffer information overload, and still not have heard enough? The conference was designed in three groups of workshops per hour, over five hours, so I didn’t get to hear everything I wanted. Still, by day’s end, I had to go home and give my poor little brain a rest.

There were a few themes that nearly everyone was talking about. One of these was strategy. Most of the presenters were marketing people, as were a majority of the audience, but what is the goal of blogging? Every so often I come across a blogger asking: ”Why do I do this?” It’s a bit like asking a weekend artist why he paints landscapes. There are a thousand reasons, and no reason in particular. The more I do this though, the more obvious it becomes that there are abundant opportunities for the taking. The field is wide open, and setting some long-term goals would probably be a good idea.

Another constant throughout the day was the importance of mobility; that means gadgetry. Most of the talk was about programs and applications, but sitting here at my desktop is already considered somewhat quaint and old-fashioned. I put a lot of effort into keeping my life simple. This blog naturally reflects that. I’m not a gadget guy. Still, the place could use a little variety. I now have a much better idea of how to accomplish that without getting tied up in USB cables. I can liven it up a little while maintaining a minimalist approach.

One thing everyone could agree on was the need to filter out all the chatter and concentrate on only the things that apply to them. No doubt, there is somebody filtering out this blog post right now. There are some time saving techniques on how to do that, and there will likely be better ones coming along in the near future.

As hokey as it sounds, the best thing about these types of conferences are the people. The knowledge, ideas, and experiences, the friendliness, the focus, it’s a great way to spend a day. It’s always good to be reminded that behind every post, tweet, and camera shot is a human being trying to communicate. The fears of virtual isolation are much overdone, as the virtual has merged with the physical. Many of the presenters said they would post summaries on-line, so I’ll have an update with links up soon. Also, as I complete some new projects, I’ll be posting about how it went. For those that missed it, you’ll see it was worth the price of admission.