CWC Career Accelerator- DAY 1
First day at CWC digital media and technology Career Accelerator. One might think that putting together a bunch of business women in one room may lead to hair pulling and excessive cat fights, however, I must say that this was by far the best week long seminar I have ever participated in. It was not only a great environment to learn about the latest innovations in the new media industry but also a unique opportunity to interact and share experiences with fabulous and talented women from all fields of communication from all across the country.
Utilize your uniqueness
The first session began with a deep dive into the world of social media with Leonna Hobbs, VP of Social Media Group. Hobbs talked about the power of social media and provided tips on how to build online presence. She believed that the key to success is to use the unique point of difference of your brand. Most importantly, she said, it’s about integrity and listening to your audience. It reminded me of Tara Hunt and her latest book ‘The Whuffie Factor’, Whuffie meaning your brand’s social capital.
Hobbs pointed out a couple of case studies: Dominos Pizza mischief videos that went viral to over one million views, and the worst twitter post ever that became an international embarrassment to Ketchum. Great examples of what can happen to your brand if you don’t listen to viewers and interact with them online. Ouch!
Augmenting your Reality
If you find it hard to survive in this new viral reality, you’d better catch up fast! Tom Purves, a technology designer and futurist said that we now live in an era where technology is ubiquitous and we can’t avoid it even if we wanted to. He showed some cool examples about how to add computer generated graphics to your field of vision.
Remember the film Terminator? Take it to the 22st century and you will find yourself walking down the street as cool graphics pop up in your field of vision and provide information about the places you pass by. Geolocation based applications on smart phones, augmented shopping through billboard adds, and barcode scanners are only fragments of what this technology will be able to do in the future. Exciting!
A world of mashups
As I began to imagine how augmented reality can be integrated in real life (Just imagine- sitting in the subway reading talking newspapers -Harry Potter style!) I realized that adapting to changes, as small as they may be, are more about social-cultural shift then about technological innovations. The film RIP- Remix Manifesto is the live proof of that: It shed light on the art of music mashups, and the sad realities of copyright laws in North America. The ability to take something old and transform it to something new is one of the core building blocks of our culture. Unfortunately when it comes to the music industry, the limitations of copyright prevent creators to experiment, mix and share music with others.
These laws promote individual gratifications rather then the creation of ideas. If our future is becoming less free and ideas are so protected, it doesn’t matter what technology we create if we can’t share it. Can you imagine the day that we find a cure for cancer but can’t use it because of copyright laws?
This might be an extreme example but it can happen.
Economy of free ideas
This idea explains how social networks became so popular. There is an obvious craving to share ideas freely in our society. Protecting them is getting out of fashion.In the past couple of years that I have worked as an independent producer, I have come across many experienced content creators that were keeping their ideas to themselves. This might sound naïve but I am a bit believer in sharing. It might be because I spent most of my childhood in a kibuts in Israel, a communal society where everything was shared. Regardless of the reason, I learned to appreciate how better we are when we work together as a team rather then by ourselves.
I look at the 19 women sitting in the room with me and feel empowered. I think about the greatest inventions of our society, and I can only imagine how exciting and fascinating our world will become.
And this is only day 1….