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An Overview of VidCamp

As envisioned, VidCamp turned out to be an exciting day of smart, curious and bold thought-leaders brainstorming and sharing their knowledge and passions about where media 2.0 is headed. There were 25 thought-leaders who were able to attend. Unfortunately, many others were unable to attend either due to sickness or professional duties. But, most people who could not be present still expressed great interest in hearing about the day and the outcomes. In part, this overview is written to share what happened at VidCamp with those who could not be there, but also to showcase and to capture the great ideas and opportunities discussed by those who participated.

First ThingThe day started out, as most do, with the VidCamp participants filling up on caffeine and sugar. The Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue provided us with a great space and morning coffee, tea, and muffins. We were located in the Strategy Room, a fitting name for the activities planned for the day. VidCamp ExpectationsI briefly introduced myself to the group and told everyone that the day was going to be highly interactive. However, before starting the first activity of the day, I wanted to find out what people’s expectations were. We had distributed colored Post-Its to everyone and they were then asked to write down one idea/thought/expectation per sticky note and then post these to a piece of paper I had entitled “Expectations” (see photo).

Here is a list of what the group’s expectations were:

  • knowledge
  • learn
  • platforms for the next generation
  • learn about video from true video geeks
  • what’s new
  • trends
  • what’s upcoming
  • know there is a dynamic team of new media in Vancouver
  • share ideas
  • meet people in media 2.0 and share ideas
  • knowledge about convergence
  • general understanding of 2.0 – what it is and what it isn’t
  • get to know who’s here
  • inspire ideas
  • to connect with people who ‘get it’
  • new concept web vlog
  • network with media 2.0 types
  • hear some new ideas for cross-platform content delivery
  • meet some new people
  • hear what other people have to say
  • begin to understand the faces and places involved in Vancouver media industry
  • to gain fresh perspectives
  • overview of convergence and how it will impact the marketing world
  • meet local people and hear what they’re about
  • building community (online & off)
  • decrease digital divide
  • learn, learn, learn
  • to get a better idea about state of media 2.0 in Vancouver
  • is IT finally turning to entertainment? Yes/No?
  • one media channel
  • identify media 2.0 expertise in Vancouver
  • network with people I’d like to work with
  • I want to meet some interesting people
  • how can new media connect people with other realities?
  • where does social justice factor into media?
  • how can we add to the voices of communities with less access?
  • gain a more broad view of Web 2.0 applications and potential
  • show me the money!
  • new ways to engage young people in thought and action
  • connect

After all the ideas were posted, I read through them so that everyone could get a sense of what the group expected. It was a great overview and highlighted that many were looking to connect with like-minded people and explore new opportunities.

Speed NetworkingThe next task got everyone out of their chairs and interacting. All chairs were pushed to the sides of the room because we were going to do some Speed Networking. Since we were only 25 people, I had the group stand up in two lines (see photo – there was no line dancing :-) ), which provided a mechanism for everyone to meet everyone else. Speed Networking 3I must admit that when I was describing the process, the group immediately began to start talking – even before I had a chance to say ‘Go’. I had a whistle that I blew after 4 minutes, but the participants were having such great conversations that I often had a hard time getting people to stop talking! Speed NetworkingTo minimize the ‘noise’ from adjacent conversations, people started to migrate off into groups of two to have their own private conversations (see photo). We did this for about an hour, after which we took a break and many continued to have informal conversations and follow-up with people they had met. Unfortunately, everyone was not able to meet everyone else (due to time limits and the fatigue that sets in after talking constantly for an hour :-) ), but this exercise did seem to set the tone for the day and I was pleased to see ongoing willingness to interact with others throughout the day.

Small GroupAfter the break, we separated into two groups to discuss ‘What is Media 2.0?’ The term ‘2.0′ is being used quite frequently these days and I thought it would be interesting to hear how others might define Media 2.0. Since we had two groups, I again encouraged everyone to use their sticky notes to capture the main ideas and themes discussed. These would be helpful when the two groups shared their thoughts with each other later. The initial plan was to have a follow-up discussion about the Challenges and Hurdles, but what actually happened was that the two conversations naturally migrated into this area. As a result, these conversations lasted about an hour and some interesting points were raised.

In terms of what Media 2.0 is, here are some of the descriptions and points made:

  • open loop
  • democratization of access
  • democratization of ideas
  • collaboration
  • fast
  • agile
  • the convergence of content onto/with various delivery/distribution channels
  • media/content convergence
  • device convergence
  • organic
  • 2.0 = indexed content
  • no business model?
  • community
  • about ‘Artists’ (in the broadest sense of the word)
  • unencumbered content
  • user-defined content
  • user-generated content
  • end user empowerment
  • open
  • Peter Dekom’s 4 Value Propositions – Subscriber, Infrastructure, Navigation Systems, Content
  • literacy is going visual
  • shift in power
  • social
  • hard to define – but you know it when you see it
  • 2.0 = the future
  • 2.0 = what’s next; the next generation

Since the conversations were quite dynamic, I am sure that this list does not encompass all of the ideas and thoughts discussed. However, it does provide some insight as to how the group viewed media 2.0 and why it is perhaps so attractive to so many people, and naturally offers so many new opportunities. A shift in power and the ability to create community seemed to be key elements in defining a critical aspect of media 2.0. Many agreed that since media 2.0 is ‘the next generation of media’, it is quite difficult to define and predict what people will create with new media.

Since it had been a full morning, we broke for lunch. I was pleased to see several smaller groups form and continue their conversations over lunch.

Small GroupWhen we returned from lunch, we formed a large circle and briefly reported what we had discussed in the smaller groups. It seemed that the two groups had had similar conversations and we then started to discuss the ‘Challenges’ that had been brought up.

Here is the list of challenges that were captured:

  • easily paying for content
  • walled-garden access (not just in mobile environments, but with any proprietary or enclosed community)
  • rights management (copyrights, producer rights, distribution rights, union contract rights, etc.)
  • indexing of content (largely visual content indexing, but also other indexing of content)
  • identity (managing your identity across multiple communities)
  • building awareness
  • how to find the content (e.g. videos) you want/like from so many choices?
  • more and better metrics on viewership for advertisers

While the list for challenges was not lengthy, many of these issues seemed to be crucial to developing solid business and community models. The issues surrounding ‘Rights’ and understanding what rights are covered, seemed to be quite important and it came up several times when exploring various distribution options. Content producers need to better understand what Rights they hold and how media 2.0 distribution models affect these Rights. There seemed to be a need to understand the issues involved in content production, as well as the ’selling’ of content. These two areas probably need to be further discussed and outlined. The financial challenges in creating solid business models were also touched upon, but more discussion is needed.

We then started discussing interesting web sites and resources that we thought might be useful to others. Based on this, two lists were distributed to capture the web sites and books that we felt might be of general interest.

Here’s a list of those resources:

Books (listed alphabetically):

Web Sites (listed alphabetically):

I am sure that these lists will expand over time, but it was a great start and we plan to create a VidCamp wiki page where we can continue to add more resources that might be of interest.

Coffee & TeaMid-afternoon, we took another caffeine and sugar break (inspired by the Wosk Centre’s coffee and cookies :-) ) and further conversations occurred. To allow for additional time to connect and to get to know each other better, Small Groupwe sometimes had longer breaks than planned and again, it was often difficult to get people to stop their private discussions and return to the group discussions. After the break, we started discussing feedback for VidCamp, specific next steps for the Vancouver community, and how to keep the conversation(s) going.

From this discussion, the following points/opportunities were mentioned:

VidCamp Feedback:

  • create a list of those who attended VidCamp with headshots
  • provide a mechanism for people to demonstrate/pull up web sites for others to see, e.g. using the projector
  • offer some panels where people can discuss what they are doing or experts can share information
  • break up into smaller groups more often
  • expand the size of the group by inviting contacts that can provide valuable insights and perspectives

Opportunities:

  • build tools to help ‘Artists’ (again, in the broader sense) market their content
  • create a physical space for media 2.0 professionals to collaborate and/or co-locate, e.g. Innovations Commons
  • pool financial and human resources to bring in/hire professionals of common interest to the group, e.g. a media 2.0 publicist
  • barter services
  • skill swaps (more on this below)

Future Get-Together Ideas:

  • happy hour gatherings
  • an afternoon only session – similar to VidCamp
  • another full-day VidCamp session with more panels
  • a DemoCamp, where media 2.0 professionals can demonstrate their projects
  • visit the offices of other media 2.0 professionals

Ongoing Communication Suggestions:

  • use the VidCamp Wiki
  • use Skype to have ‘unConference Calls’
  • build a Skills Directory
  • start a VidCamp Listserve

This was a great list of suggestions, opportunities and feedback. One of the key opportunities discussed was the need for ‘Skill Swaps‘. Both the technology and entertainment people felt that there were not enough opportunities in Vancouver for people involved in these two industries to meet, network and explore opportunities together. Many felt that VidCamp was a great start to more such conversations. Everyone seemed to agree that to successfully implement many of these new media models, the two industries need to communicate and interact more with each other (and not remain in their ’silos’). A need was also expressed for technologists to specifically demonstrate how these new technology tools work and for content producers to learn how to use these tools to concretely reduce some of their marketing and distribution costs.

We are working on setting up the VidCamp listserve and I will send out a note, once it is available. Everyone at VidCamp seemed excited to continue to build and expand the group, as well as to plan future events and get-togethers. I will make sure that all future VidCamp-related events are posted to both the web site and the listserve. If you are interested in what’s happening in Vancouver, be sure to continue to check out the web site, subscribe to the web site RSS feed :-) , or sign-up for the listserve, when available.

I have tried to provide you with an overview of the ‘First Day at VidCamp‘. However, please note that what I’ve captured is merely a fraction of the ideas and outcomes from the VidCamp experience. I can assure you that this overview, by no means, replaces all of the ad hoc conversations and discussions that happened throughout the day. Hopefully, it has given you a better sense of what the group accomplished and what we have started. It was an exciting day (albeit sometimes mentally exhausting :-) ) and I am thrilled to have been a part of such an amazing group of great and creative minds!

At the end of the day, one participant did ask, “What does ‘VidCamp’ actually stand for? Does the ‘Vid’ stand for ‘Video’?” I then explained that the ‘Vid’ in VidCamp stands for “Visual, Interactive, and Digital (Media)” and the ‘Camp’ refers to those worldwide community gatherings that are focusing on offline interactions and connections, and the exchange of ideas. So, VidCamp is truly for ALL content producers, technologists, futurists, community leaders, academicians, and anyone else exploring new media options. I fervently believe that Vancouver is in a wonderful position to build a leading-edge Vortex of what is yet to come! VidCamp only validated my thoughts!

Thank you, once again, to everyone who attended VidCamp and for being open to sharing your passions, knowledge and expertise with others! We have begun to develop a truly dynamic network and I thoroughly look forward to future conversations and meetings!

If you are interested in more VidCamp photos, do check out Rob’s Photos and Roland’s Photos! And, if I have missed any salient points, please feel free to add your comments below!

Add comment February 25th, 2006

A VidCamp Update

Since we are only a week away from VidCamp, I thought I would update you on how VidCamp is progressing and how things are currently planned. I have met with some of you to brainstorm about VidCamp and as a result of these conversations, the structure of the day has evolved into a something I feel will be quite dynamic, enjoyable and insightful :-) ! So, on to the details…

COST
We were quite fortunate to receive some sponsorship funding from Heenan Blaikie! However, their sponsorship does not cover all of the event costs. So, we will have to charge $20/person to cover the remaining costs. We will be providing Coffee, Tea and snacks throughout the day. We will break for one hour to allow everyone to grab lunch and will provide a list of restaurants and nearby eating options.

ATTENDEES
I am often asked who will be attending VidCamp. Since I respect everyone’s right to privacy, I have created an online (Wiki) web page where anyone attending can voluntarily add his/her name (or initials ) to the list. However, if you give me your permission, I will gladly do this for you. I ask that you tell me exactly what information you would like to publicly publish, e.g. title, web page, email, etc. I would also like to know what you hope to gain from this experience and/or what expectations you might have for VidCamp.

AGENDA
Here is the current plan:

9:00 – 9:30 Registration
9:30 – 9:45 Welcome and Introduction
9:45 – 10:15 Speed Networking (in small groups)
10:15 – 10:45 Defining “What is Media 2.0″
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:30 Speed Networking (new groups)
11:30 – 12:00 Identifying the Top 5 Media 2.0 Challenges & Hurdles
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch Break
1:00 – 2:00 Ideas and Solutions to Identified Challenges
2:00 – 2:30 Participant-Led Discussion(s)
2:30 – 2:45 Break
2:45 – 3:15 Participant-Led Discussion(s)
3:15 – 4:00 Participant-Led Discussion(s)
4:00 – 4:15 Break
4:15 – 5:00 Opportunities & Next Steps for Vancouver
5:00 – 5:30 Wrap-Up

Since we are still a week away, some tweaking might occur. But, I hope this will give you a sense of what we are envisioning.

PARTICIPANT-LED DISCUSSIONS (replaces “Presentations)
As you see on the Agenda, the afternoon is largely driven by participant-led discussions. These “in-the-round” discussions will be led by VidCamp participants who would like to present a question or topic of interest and then talk for 1-5 minutes about what their thoughts are. The question/topic will then be thrown out to the group to discuss and debate. Please note that depending on the interest and number of topics, we may talk about these issues in one large group or break into smaller groups. I do not anticipate that each topic will fill up 45 minutes; we will probably discuss several topics in each of these time slots. So, short discussions are quite welcomed. Also, since not everyone present will be an expert on every topic, I ask that you focus on high-level issues and not delve too much into specific technology details. Introducing the appropriate technology issues to the discussion is important, however, keep in mind that the group is diverse and ideally, we want everyone to be able to contribute and ask thought-provoking questions.

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT
Although we will be discussing cutting-edge business models and new media ideas, I have decided to take a somewhat low-tech approach to VidCamp :-) . I want this day to be about discussions, debates, and conversation. In other words, I want this to be about people’s ideas and thoughts and less about fiddling with technology to make PowerPoint presentations. We will have limited wireless access should people want to showcase examples of their projects or check email. But, the day will be much more about using our physical brains rather than the virtual ones in our computers :-) .

WIKI
For those of you who are interested, we have added a Wiki to the VidCamp web site! (Many, many thanks to Geoff for his hard work on integration and design!) Once you sign-up for an account, you can contribute and edit any and all content on the wiki. I envision that this will become an online resource where we can publicly highlight the expertise and knowledge base here in Vancouver. After VidCamp, I plan to summarize and transcribe all of the ideas, thoughts and results discussed and allow others to see and comment on them, especially those who were not able to attend VidCamp.

READING/LISTENING MATERIALS
I have been adding articles and podcasts that I have found interesting to the VidCamp Resource page. I recommend that you read some of these articles and see what is being discussed and debated in the digital entertainment and new media worlds. If you have any specific resources, feel free to add them to the wiki resource page or send me the link/information and I’d be more than happy to add them myself.

I believe that is everything for now. If I you have any other questions, comments or suggestions, please do let me know. As I said, there may be some tweaking happening in the next week and often these changes are based on recommendations from you — the participants!

Also, don’t forget to either send me your contact information or add your name to the Attendees web page.

I look forward to seeing (and meeting) all of you next week and thank you in advance for your contribution to VidCamp!

Rochelle

Add comment February 10th, 2006

VidCamp – The Media 2.0 unConference

VidCamp - The Media 2.0 unConference will be modeled much like FooCamp, BarCamp, Seattle Mind Camp, BrainJams, the upcoming Moose Camp 2006, and many such other “Camps” that have recently taken place in technology centers around the world. The goal of VidCamp is to bring together a group of smart, curious and bold people to brainstorm and share their knowledge and passions for where Media 2.0 is headed and the potential opportunities.

Over the past couple of months, I have watched as most of the major US broadcasting networks and studios have created some form of an “Interactive Media/Digital Entertainment” division. Journalists have been writing about how Apple iTunes is shaking up the “legal” online landscape (we can discuss bit torrent at a later time :-) ) and many of the larger media corporations are fervently looking to create and to understand which business models will be successful (i.e. profitable)Â in the future.

As a result, some of the latest and hottest “buzz words” have become:

  • PodCasts and Vlogs/VideoCasts
  • DRM – Digital Rights Management
  • VOD – Video-on-Demand
  • HD – High-Definition Content and Formats
  • DVRs – Digital Video Recorders
  • Broadband and Mobile Interactive Content
  • IPTV
  • Webisodes and Mobisodes
  • P2P – Peer-to-Peer Networks, e.g. Bit Torrent
  • Social Networking
  • Piracy

And, that’s just to name a few!

Recently, while reading several entertainment, digital media and technology predictions for 2006, CES announcements, and reviewing some upcoming conference agendas, I realized that with everyone talking about Media 2.0, it would actually be nice to participate in an event where people from the broadcasting, hi-tech, film, television, podcasting, interactive media, mobile, gaming, animation and other industries could discuss future trends, challenges and opportunities in an open and collaborative forum.

So, I decided to launch VidCamp, the Media 2.0 unConference! As stated above, the goal is to bring together a group of smart, curious and bold people to brainstorm and share their knowledge and passions for where Media 2.0 is headed and the potential opportunties. The plan is to hold VidCamp within the next 8 weeks; so any thoughts, suggestions and assistance you can offer are greatly appreciated!

I am very much looking forward to meeting and discussing these exciting, new frontiers with a diverse and enthusiatic group of people! If you are interested in being part of this event, please drop me a line. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on our progress and how VidCamp unfolds!

Add comment January 9th, 2006

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