Reps from 40 countries descend on D.C. for Google conference

Ijust arrived in Washington, D.C., for a conference with the goal of protecting freedom of expression on the Internet. Organized by Google, Internet at Liberty (they could have done better on the name) will “explore the most pressing dilemmas and exciting opportunities around free expression in the digital age.”

As the conference site says, “Today, more than any time in history, technological and political forces are colliding to draw lines about how the Internet functions. … The conference will explore creative ways to expand the free flow of information online” with global activists and representatives of academic centers, corporations, governments, the media and NGOs.

Certainly, Google has a business stake in a free and open Internet — an Internet that does not become balkanized as a result of attempts to bend the content citizens can see to reflect governments’ narrow, parochial interests. But here is an example where Google’s interests and the public’s interests sync up perfectly.

A gathering of Internet freedom organizations

I’ll be running the conference’s social media track (disclosure: Google recruited and paid me to organize it). Look for two days of workshops that will cover strategies and tools to advance cause organizations’ advocacy campaigns. Our charter is not to discuss only Internet freedom issues but any strategies, tactics and tools that can help change-makers using social media succeed. The plenary sessions Wednesday and Thursday will be live-streamed while the workshops will be video recorded and put online at a future date, I’m told. Follow the hashtag #InternetLiberty.

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Afew days ago I sat down with Gal Brill, the founder and CEO of UppSite, an Israel-based start-up that can turn your website into an app in just minutes. At top is a video UppSite produced about their service, and at bottom is my interview with Gal.

As the Web turns increasingly mobile — with a majority of online Americans set to access the Internet through their mobile devices rather than their desktop or laptop computers within a couple of years — any sensible Web publisher should be thinking about how to optimize his or her site for mobile users.

I’ve written about a few such services, including WPTouch Pro (Have you made your site mobile-ready?) and OnSwipe (Make your site ‘swipeable’ on the iPad). But UppSite is the first service to come along that can turn any website or blog into an app — on the iPhone or Android — for free, in a matter of minutes. That’s pretty cool. (A Windows Mobile version is coming in a few months.)

Watch, download or embed our video interview on YouTube.

CEO Brill likens UppSite’s entry into the marketplace as akin to WordPress’s disruption of the blogging world, when it make it drop-dead simple to get a blog up and running in 5 minutes. UppSite’s mission is to help you enter the mobile era “in a truly easy way,” he says. In the coming years, he hopes and expects millions of sites — particularly small or mid-size publications — to do so.

“We’re democratizing the mobile era for any publisher,” he says.

A cross-platform solution that actually works

Up until now, online publishers have had to deal with the nightmare of developing and maintaining applications for each separate operating system: iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android, Windows Phone 7 and so on. Not only that, you’d be out of luck in some cases, depending on whether your site runs on WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, etc. While other services often offer little more than a prettified version of an RSS feed, UppSite promises native apps that offer a complete version of your site, with all of the important content and functionality.

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A scene from last year’s CMS Expo. (Photo by Chris Hammond on Flickr)

Guide to events & conferences for the coming month

May brings us another month chock-a-block with conferences on social media, technology and marketing.

Which events listed below will you be attending? I’ll be traveling to four conferences (speaking at three of them) this month and will be following these remotely: SOBcon Chicago, NEXT, Content Marketing Strategies, Internet Week New York, Mobile Marketing Strategies, Government Web and New Media Conference, TechCrunch Disrupt NYC and D9, among others.

For the full year, see our full Calendar of 2012 social media, tech and marketing conferences. And Socialbrite has our calendar of nonprofit and social change events for May.

Hope to see you at some of these! If you know of other must-attend events, please share by posting the information in the comments at the bottom.

May
Digital Hollywood Spring	Apr 30-May 3	Marina del Rey, Calif.
Digital Hollywood is the premier entertainment and technology conference in the country. Dozens of media and entertainment execs convene to discuss the state of digital content. (I’ve spoken at four or five Digital Hollywood events.)
99% Conference	May 3-4	New York
Taking its moniker from the famous Thomas Edison quote “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration,” the 99% Conference represents a shift in focus. Unlike other conferences that focus purely on ideas and inspiration, the 99% is all about action. For two days, 99% brings together some of the world’s most productive creative visionaries to offer a behind-the-scenes look at their processes as they share road-tested insights on pushing ideas forward.
SOBCon Chicago	May 4-6	Chicago
SOBCon is one of the best learning forums for marketers, small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in the US. The theme this year is “Creating and Leveraging Opportunity: Strategy and Execution.”
NEXT Berlin	May 8-9	Berlin
NEXT will be a highlight of Europe’s largest festival of the digital scene, the Berlin Web Week, starting on May 2. This year’s conference is dedicated to the post-digital era. Why? Because the digital revolution is over, digital has won. So it’s time to ask what’s next, what’s beyond digital?
All About The Cloud	May 8-10	San Francisco
Join 500+ executives from ISVs, resellers, platform and infrastructure providers, along with industry leading analysts, venture capitalists and media, gathering to explore, debate and discuss all aspects of cloud computing. The cloud is here to stay and it is changing the way every one of us consumes IT services and delivers applications.
Content Marketing Strategies	May 8-9	Berkeley, Calif.
The Content Marketing Strategies Conference is the only event that specifically focuses on helping companies of any size understand the pivotal role content marketing plays in demand generation, sales, SEO and social. Attendees will walk away with an action plan to kick-start or enhance a content marketing program. Use code “linkedinvip” to save an additional $100.
CMS Expo	May 8-10	Chicago
Come to CMS Expo to stay ahead on the “X Factor,” and many trends that can help your business succeed. Discover how to best put leading CMSs, apps, add-ons and talent to work for your corporation, small business, non-profit, education or government unit. Get straight answers from the best in the business. Experience CMS comparison panels, insightful learning sessions and case studies, empowering keynotes, business networking and more.
Content Delivery Summit	May 14	New York
Now in its fourth year, the Content Delivery Summit is a one-day conference designed to bring together telecom carriers, service providers, content owners and industry vendors for a detailed look at CDN platforms for the delivery of video and content acceleration. The summit will include case studies on real-world deployments, demos of new technology platforms and discussions on business model considerations for video and rich media.
Conversational Marketing Summit	May 14-15	New York
Leading agencies, marketers, platforms and entrepreneurs come together for the marketing industry’s most rigorous and thought-provoking annual two-day gathering that bridges the innovations of the Internet with the practice of marketing. Conference site has not been updated for 2012.
Confab	May 14-16	Minneapolis, Minn.
After years of focus on Web design and technology, professionals everywhere are finally starting to realize the value of content, including people in user experience, marketing, IT, business management and elsewhere. Help drive the content strategy conversation forward.
Internet Week New York	May 14-21	New York
Since its debut in 2008, Internet Week New York has quickly become one of the world’s top festivals celebrating digital culture as well as a global showcase for New York City’s thriving technology industry. Internet Week New York is expected to bring more than 30,000 people from around the world to nearly 300 events at the festival’s headquarters and at dozens of locations throughout the city.
Streaming Media East	May 15-16	New York
Streaming Media East is the one online video show that is solely focused on giving you real information you can apply immediately in your business. Come see, learn and discuss what is taking place with all forms of online video business models and technology.
Privacy Identity Innovation	May 15-16	Seattle
Privacy Identity Innovation explores how to protect sensitive information while enabling new technologies and business models. It’s the only tech conference focused on examining critical technological, ethical and legal issues – and highlighting new business opportunities.
Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit	May 15-17	San Francisco
Global Strategic Management Institute will be hosting this year’s summit. Presentations will include case studies, informative presentations and hands-on workshops that cover Mobile Disruption, Integration, M-Commerce, Apps, Analytics and much more. Attendees will leave the summit with valuable information and leading edge tools needed to keep your organization competitive in a constantly evolving mobile industry.
Government Web and New Media Conference	May 16-17	Washington, DC
The annual Government Web Managers Conference is a networking and educational event for Web content managers, Web writers and editors, and government employees who contribute content to government websites. It’s designed for government employees and contractors who use online tools and social media to meet their agency’s mission.
WebVisions	May 16-18	Portland, Ore.
WebVisions explores the future of design, content creation, user experience and business strategy in an event that inspires learning, collaboration and entrepreneurism.
Bloggy Boot Camp	May 19	Philadelphia
Join a powerful mix of ordinary and extraordinary women, ranging from young, single girls in their 20s to mothers to retirees. All span a multitude of backgrounds and experiences. What connects attendees is an interest in discovering new blogs and being a part of a community that provides support, friendship and a platform for learning. Connect with your tribe in person at Bloggy Boot Camp.
TechCrunch Disrupt NYC	May 19-23	New York
TechCrunch Disrupt returns to New York with the pizza-and-caffeine-fueled Hackathon on May 19–20 followed by the full conference on May 21–23. Watch startups compete in the Startup Battlefield. Last year, Ashton Kutcher and Paul Graham shared their investment strategies with Charlie Rose, Keith Rabois shared why Square will be more profitable than PayPal, and GetAround battled 30 other companies to take home the Disrupt Cup.
CeBIT Australia	May 22-24	Sydney, Australia
If business is a game then it’s the toughest of all to win. The players, rules and goalposts are constantly changing. The cloud, mobile apps, ecommerce – if you stop moving you get left far behind. But get it right and your business can clean up. At CeBIT 2012 you’ll learn how to play the game by its new rules and how to win safely, securely and within your budget.
Social Media Summit	May 23	Harrisburg, Penn.
With several hundred attendees each year, the summit expores the impact social network sites have on our daily lives. Panel discussions make it ideal for laypersons as well as tech gurus. Attendees come from around the U.S. and several foreign countries and range in occupation from CEOs to students. Sessions are held concurrently.
JUMP New York	May 23	New York
Join 40 international experts and the brightest minds in on- and offline-marketing for a one-day conference dedicated to helping you and your team be the best you possibly can. JUMP is all about joining up online and offline marketing to get better results. It’s for digital and offline marketers.
Cloud Connect	May 24-25	Bengaluru, India
Cloud Connect India is the best place to discuss and learn about the latest trends in cloud computing, with the biggest names in the industry. From cloud in the enterprise to the mobile cloud, virtualization, security, cloud communications and security, the event will cover the most relevant and latest updates from the industry.
D9 Conference	May 29-31	Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
D is different from other conferences: no canned speeches, no marketing pitches, and no bull. Instead, creators and executive producers Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher put the industry’s top players to the test during unscripted conversations about the impact digital technology will have on our lives now and in the future.

A serendipity panel at last year’s Where conference (photo by JD Lasica)

Guide to events & conferences for the coming month

This could be the most jam-packed conference month of the year — at least, that’s how it feels.

Which events listed below will you be attending? I’ll be at Where in San Francisco this week and will be following these remotely: mediaXchange, ad:tech SF, Innotech, 140 Characters, DEMO Spring, the fascinating Future of Money & Technology Summit, The Next Web, Transparency Camp and Digital Hollywood Spring. (I’ve spoken at some of these in past years.)

For the full year, see our full Calendar of 2012 social media, tech and marketing conferences. And Socialbrite has our calendar of nonprofit and social change events for April.

Hope to see you at some of these! If you know of other must-attend events, please share by posting the information in the comments at the bottom.

Conference	Date	Place
March
Sex::Tech	April 1-3	San Francisco
Sex::Tech 2012 is a two-day annual conference hosted by ISIS, Inc. that brings health and technology professionals together with youths, parents and community leaders to advance the sexual health of youths in the U.S. and abroad. Sex::Tech is the only conference that showcases high-tech educational content (mobile, social media, Internet) developed by professionals, highlights national and local program successes, and puts youth leadership at the forefront.
Mobile Summit	April 2-3	Sausalito, Calif.
Check out the website from last year’s event for an idea of what’s to come.
PRSA: Digital Impact	April 2-3	New York
The conference will be attended by public relations, communications and digital media professionals seeking guidance, inspiration and ingeniousness from leaders of the digital media revolution. This conference, put on with the help of SNCR.org, will provide you with thought leaders, digital experts who represent platforms, organizations and networks, practical applications and research to help you apply what you learn about social media and the impact of influence and persuasion.
Where	April 2-4	San Francisco
Now in its eighth year, Where Conference: The Art and Business of Location, is where the grassroots and leading-edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms and hardware to gain a competitive edge.
mediaXchange	April 2-5	Washington, DC
If you offer products, services, solutions or partnerships to the newspaper media industry, being a part of this annual marketplace is your opportunity to reach senior newspaper executives and decision makers.
Data 2.0 Summit	April 3	San Francisco
Meet the entrepreneurs, executives, investors and thought leaders at the intersection of Big Data, Social Data and the DataWeb. The summit will host discussions on the DataWeb: how companies are building on top of (and investing in) a long-term foundation of social data, open gov data, business intelligence data and customer data. “Web 1.0″ involved pages linking to pages. “Web 2.0″ involved users linking to people, places and things across Web applications. Now comes data.
The Power of eMarketing	April 3-4	San Francisco
The Power of eMarketing Conference (eM12) offers an unparalleled and exclusive experience in best practices, case histories and processes for social, email and emerging marketing technologies.
ad:tech San Francisco	April 3-4	San Francisco
Digital marketers, brands, agencies, publishers and service providers come together to share, network, learn and do business.
Innotech	April 5	San Antonio
InnoTech is an annual conference and exhibition built specifically for business and technology executives, highlighting the region’s innovation and technology development opportunities by showcasing pioneering products and services. InnoTech is designed to be the most comprehensive and collaborative regional technology event available in a one- or two-day format. Look for events in San Antonio on April 5, Portland on May 3, Dallas on May 17, Austin on Oct. 20 and Oklahoma City on Nov. 3.
Android Open	April 5-6	San Francisco
This event zeroes in on the technical side of Android. While the fall event is for the entire Android ecosystem (development, business and marketing), the spring event is a more focused technical conference for developers.
National Association of Broadcasters	April 14-19	Las Vegas
Every industry employs audio and video to communicate, educate and entertain. They all come together at the NAB Show for creative inspiration and next-generation technologies to help breathe new life into their content. No matter where you are in the content lifecycle – from creation to consumption – NAB is a must-attend event for businesses looking ahead.
140 Characters Conference	April 17	New York
Jeff Pulver’s #140conf exposes you to the power the Internet has to disrupt businesses, change lives and create serendipity. You will leave with a fresh outlook on how the real time Web can be used in your business or personal life to actually do something meaningful.
Social Media Analytics Summit	April 17-18	San Francisco
The Social Media Analytics Summit is the first ever two-day business conference with a complete focus on social media analytics. Social media analytics enhances customer service, improves brand and reputation management, and measures overall social media success for businesses.
DEMO Spring	April 17-19	Santa Clara, Calif.
At DEMO Spring, investors and potential partners can get a close-up look at the latest trend-setting technologies. It’s not just a place for face time but for eyes-on-the-product time.
CampaignTech 2012	April 19-20	Washington, DC
How is the 2012 election season changing the craft of digital politics and advocacy? What are leading practitioners doing to evolve the tools in their technology-charged communications toolboxes? Join CampaignTech’s hands-on trainings, workshops, round-table conversations and panel discussions that will enhance your knowledge of practical politics, refine your digital campaign skills and inspire you to exceed your goals this election – and beyond.
Innovate / Activate	April 20-21	Berkeley, Calif.
Innovate / Activate is an event on intellectual property and activism. It’s about spurring change through the thoughtful consideration of IP. It’s about reexamining our approaches to improving global welfare by diagnosing new and existing IP-related challenges to activism, developing strategies for overcoming IP obstacles and delivering practical solutions. It’s about identifying additional tools for a more effective activism that is capable of challenging our accepted notions of freedom and equality.
Search Starts Here	April 21-24	Boca Raton, Fla.
BIA/Kelsey and the Local Search Association are combining forces for this annual gathering, where speakers from around the world will discuss industry trends, lessons learned, success stories, new technology applications and useful innovations in the local search industry.
Future of Money & Technology Summit	April 23	San Francisco
The summit brings together the best and brightest thinkers around money, including entrepreneurial business people, developers, press, investors, authors, solution providers, service providers and organizations that work with them at the convergence of cash and commerce.
BlueGlass Conference	April 23-24	Los Angeles
Some of the best Internet marketing minds in the world will gather for 48 hours of learning, sharing and forming relationships that will last a lifetime.
Advanced Analytics for High Tech	April 25-26	San Francisco
The summit brings together the leaders from the field of analytics within the high-tech industry. Effective analytics is central to business success. In the modern business environment, technological developments and the advances of globalization have created unparalleled opportunities for businesses to expand their markets and take advantage of new opportunities.
Social Pulse Summit	April 25-26	Las Vegas
Join the 2nd Social Pulse Summit and discuss how companies can use social media to build brand loyalty, resolve customer complaints and conduct market research at low cost. These strategies as discussed by industry leaders will provide insight on creating metrics to track social media productivity in actual gained revenue using innovative software technologies that can both manage viral customer feedback and monitor employee usage to ensure the right message is getting out to consumers.
Connections	April 25-26	Alberta, Canada
The 2012 conference will bring together leaders from the nonprofit sector, the corporate community, government and other funders, and community leaders to dialogue about the significant changes that will impact the sector and its ability to meet community needs in the future. A goal of the conference is to foster enhanced understanding across the three sectors through focused dialogue on timely and relevant issues.
The Next Web	April 25-27	Amsterdam
The seventh edition of The Next Web Conference will be packed with high-quality content, networking events, parties and dealmaking opportunities. It’s the place to be for all Web and mobile professionals.
Under the Radar	April 25-26	Mountain View, Calif.
Under the Radar has been recognized as a significant showcase of innovation and deal-making forum in Silicon Valley. In the past four years, 67% of its presenters have gone on to raise funding and/or be acquired by Google, Yahoo, Cisco, BT, Microsoft, Twitter, Fox Interactive and others.
Transparency Camp	April 28-29	Washington, DC
TransparencyCamp is an unconference for open government: an event where journalists, developers, technologists, policy makers, government officials, students, academics, wonks and others gather to share their knowledge about how to use new technologies and policies to make our government really work for the people — and to help our people work smarter with our government.
Digital Hollywood Spring	Apr 30-May 3	Marina del Rey, Calif.
Digital Hollywood is the premier entertainment and technology conference in the country. Dozens of media and entertainment execs convene to discuss the state of digital content. (I’ve spoken at four or five Digital Hollywood events.)

Image by Didem Hizar on BigStockPhoto.com

Include features on your mobile site that will encourage users to share, interact, locate your business & more

Before creating a mobile website just because it’s a new world and you need to, pull back and plan for a mobile website that meets your customer’s needs, fulfills your business objectives, and integrates the features you need now and in the future.

Here are some guidelines to help you plan a successful mobile website:

Plan for user expectations

1In a previous post, we discussed how people use the mobile Web. Mobile device users already know what they want when they get to a mobile website and are more likely to take action once they get there. To plan for this type of user behavior, answer the following questions about potential visitors to your mobile site:

• Why are they most likely coming to your site?
• What information are they most likely seeking?
• What types of actions are they most likely to take?

The answers to these questions can help you prioritize the content on your mobile site. You should highlight the three most important items and make them prevalent on your site. You may only have a few seconds to make a conversion, so call-to-action links or buttons should be one of those priorities.

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Image by tmcnem on BigStockPhoto

In most brand organizations, marketing investments rest on 20th century marketing principles whose results are diminishing every year. At the same time, an increasing portion of products and services are commoditizing, which puts more pressure on marketing to “create” differentiation and value. In many cases, there is no escape — except by changing the rules.

Here I’ll show how marketing can reinvent itself by using social business to tap a hidden gold mine. Here are the ways that CMOs can leverage digital world of mouth:

The threat: Dire straits in marketing

Marketing as a profession emerged in leading economies during the mid-20th century, when manufactured products were novelties in many categories. Marketers came to assume that they could “create an image” or “brand” using the mass communications to which few had access. Individual customers had no leverage because word of mouth was analog. Word of mouth has always been the most trusted source of product or service information, but it had no leverage until social peer-to-peer technologies emerged. Marketing’s credibility will never recover because customers now have a more trusted alternative: other customers. You can make this work for you.

The opportunity: Customer service as marketing

For customers, the most compelling information about companies, products or services is often conversations about how products or services can be used in specific situations. They have high credibility because they are initiated by customers and show what happens when exceptions arise. Simplistically speaking, marketing’s job is to increase demand for the company’s products and services. Customer service conversations will be more compelling than marketing messages in many situations, but they have to be treated completely differently.

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