Reflections on Omaha 10/10/10

Updates with more links coming

I had a great visit Monday to the Omaha 10/10/10 conference held at the University of Nebraska at Omaha this last weekend.  The conference was designed to look at communication technology development in all fields a decade into the 21st century.  The sessions I was able to attend really looked at how news and marketing were making use of new media tools, especially the so-called social media.

In addition to audience at the UNO campus, the conference was also webcast live using UStream.  While there are plans to edit the video into highlight programs, the archives of the live video are not available online.

I was part of a panel at 8:15 a.m. called “Social Media, the First Amendment and the University: Communication, Information, Technology, Art & Education.  Included on the panel were keynote speaker Dr. Kuy Ho Youm of the University of Oregon (who is also the AEJMC vice president), Dean Gary Kebbel of the UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Dr. Carol Zuegner of the journalism program at Creighton U.; Dr. Dr. David Helm of the UNO Department of Art & Art History, and Dr. Jeremy Lipschultz, director of the School of Communication at UNO.

The quantity of information and ideas in just the half day I was there was almost overwhelming, but I’m find the best way to review what I heard is to go back and review all the Twitter feeds that came from the sessions.   You can see them by following this link or searching for the #omaha10 hashtag.  Be forewarned.  There were a lot of people posting.

Trying to mention everything I learned would be impossible, so here are a few highlights:

  • Silicon Prairie News – An online publication dealing with heartland entrepreneurship issues.  Jeff Slobotski and Dusty Davidson talked about Silicon Prairie and about the Big Omaha conference.
  • Find out how Abby Jordan of eCreamery.com came up with blueberry and oreo flavored ice cream. Or how Princess Lasertron (aka Megan Hunt) is selling a different kind of bridal design. Or how Josie Loza of the Omaha World Herald uses social media to help her cover the out-and-about scene.
  • Nathan T. Wright, founder of Des Moines-based social media firm Lava Row talked about 10 trends in social media, web culture, and emerging media. I don’t have a copy of his excellent presentation, but here are my notes that I posted on Twitter:
    • The term “social media” will go away.  The net has always been social
    • Facebook is an identity company.  Facebook is now the mainstream.
    • Social media will bring a big disruption to the finance industry.  Facebook credits now being sold at Target.  Could Facebook become a bank?
    • Newspapers are ditching paper.  But news brands remain.
    • The social web is coming to your living room through hulu, Netflix, and iTunes.
    • Vehicles are becoming mobile media devices, with apps!  Ford is working on Fiesta Ware.
    • Our devices will unlock layers of metadata all around us.
    • Social CRM (customer relationship management) becomes a big industry
    • Twitter evolves into a sophisticated information and news network.
    • New loyalty marketing platforms are emerging.

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