VidCamp – The Media 2.0 unConference

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

Rochelle’s 10-Minute Presentation Wish List

As I mentioned in my previous post, we are asking participants to prepare a 10-minute presentation. I know that we all like suggestions. So, here is my wish list of some of the presentations I’d love to see:

• How Is Digital Content Delivered – An overview of some technology, tools, bandwidth requirements, etc.
• Bit Torrent - Is it inherently evil? What is it and how does it work?
• Streaming vs. Download-and-Play - What are the pros and cons to these video distribution models?
• Video Formats and Standardization - Will there be a universal video format? How do we best deal with competing formats/codecs in the interim?
• Video Resolutions and Their Impact on Bandwidth Costs - Will we have different resolutions for different programs, e.g. talk shows vs. movies.
• High-Definition - How is this new media format affecting content producers and content distribution?
• Commercial vs. Amateur Content Production - There are several topics that can be covered under this topic, for example:
• Blogging
• Podcasting
• Videocasting / VideoBlogging
• The Future of Copyright and Distribution Rights – How will ‘territories’ and ‘media’ formats be monitored/controlled in an increasingly digital world?
• DRM - Is there a DRM system that consumers will accept and be willing to pay for or will consumers only pay for DRM-free content? Here’s an interesting article about this: Digital Rights Management (DRM): Media Companies’ Next Flop?
• Gaming Companies: The Entertainment Studios of the Future? – As gaming companies expand their entertainment offerings to music, films, etc., they are starting to look more like entertainment companies. So, are these companies the ‘Studios’ of the future?
• Mobile Phone Standards and Walled Gardens - How can content-providers gain access to walled gardens and what format standards will be required?
• Games on 3G Next-Gen Mobile Devices – As games move onto Mobile handsets, will this create a new competitive market for mobile revenues?
• Home Theatres and Their Impact on Social Networks – Will home theatres create a new kind of social networking? Will groups get together for “Movie/TV Series Nite”?
• The Long Tail – (This concept can be applied to just about any area of new media development.) In the past, revenues have been focused on the head of the curve, but with new distribution models, the ‘Long Tail’ is looking quite attractive. How will this change organizations’ long-term strategies? Read Why Practically Everyone Is in Dogged Pursuit of the Long Tail.

I am planning a presentation entitled, The Charts – The Entertainment Market Numbers and Opportunity. I will look at the some of the latest market research figures and present a summary of What Is and What Is Projected.

Hopefully, this preliminary list will get you thinking about areas you would like to talk about! Please also note that this list is by no means exhaustive and you are not limited by it. If you have a topic that you are more comfortable discussing, just prepare that. I merely want to get people thinking about some potential discussion points.

I do look forward to hearing some interesting and insightful presentations!Â

Add comment January 30th, 2006