Chicago Tech Report

Chatting with WIRED & World Business ChicagoA Deeper Look into WIRED NextFest

CTR had the opportunity to meet with Victor Friedberg, the Executive Director of NextFest, along with World Business Chicago to understand how Chicago was chosen to host the tech showcase. We also spent some time getting to know a few of the inventors.

Chris Anderson's Wired NextFest KeynoteIntroducing His New Book: 'Free'

Below is the complete 53 minute video of WIRED's Chris Anderson, speaking in Chicago at the WIRED NextFest. A unique opportunity to hear Chris' thinking behind the new book, which he is in the midst of writing, 'Free'.

Note: I was sitting in the front row holding a camera. Chris is a terrific presenter, but paces. You'll notice  my arm give out here and there as I keep up with him.

Thank you to the city of Chicago and World Business Chicago for helping bring NextFest to Millennium Park.

Make the time and watch this video - you'll rethink your current business models.

WIRED's Chris Anderson Talks About 'Free'Kicks Off WIRED NextFest in Chicago

 

WIRED's NextFest kicks off in Chicago today.  Local media, press and tech types gathered in Millennium Park to hear Chris Anderson's keynote - introducing the idea of free.  Coming off the success of "The Long Tail", which sparked a new buzz word, Chris provided the group a bird's eye view into his thoughts behind his new book, "Free".   The book will be available for all to peruse next summer and you guessed it, the e-book will be free.

In a nutshell, businesses will need to rethink their business models to accommodate the notion of offering 'Fremiums'.  Chris cited Flickr's example - the bulk of users take advantage of the free accounts and a minority, say 10% have a Flickr Pro account. It's this 10% that brings in that revenue for Flickr.

This is the similar model Chris Anderson is going to use when his book, "Free" is released.  The book will be available for free in its digital format and consumers that would like a hard cover book will be charged.

Check back this weekend for video and additional pictures from the event!

Local First Chicago Hosts Panel at Noble Tree Cafe:Using the Web to Help Your Small Business

Local First Chicago invited some web experts to chat about maximizing online tools in helping small businesses with conducting business online. I was happy to join a panel that included:

April Jervis - Local First Chicago
Brent Payne  - Tribune Company
Felicia Yonter -  Chitown Daily News
Tammy Green - Chicago Bites
Phil Tadros - Noble Tree Cafe and Metroproper

Thanks to Mark Smithivas for moderating (you'll see more of him on CTR as he will also be contributing articles) and to Phil Tadros for hosting us at Noble Tree. Some of the business owners had quite a bit to say in terms of the 'Yelp shakedown' a few of you emailed CTR about as well.

Here is the video of the chat, provided by George Hayman of Onsite TV

CIMA DinnerBYTE: October 16Social Networking: Do Consumers Respond to Advertisers' Messages anymore?

WARNING: THIS EVENT WILL MOST LIKELY SELL OUT...

Time: 6pm - 8pm
Location: The Westin (909 N. Michigan Ave, Cotillion Ballroom, 2nd Floor)
Member Price: 75
Non Member Price: 100
Special Price: 165

Join CIMA for our most anticipated event of the year as we embark on an insightful discussion with industry thought provokers as they share their insights about the topic of Social Networking.

Unless you don’t pay attention to media, you’ve had to hear the words Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, or Twitter at some point. These are just a few of the wide variety of social networking sites that have gained mass attention over the past couple of years. Today, you don’t even need your computer to network with the overwhelming popularity of the IPhone and PDA’s. The provocative question for marketers remains: “While people are social networking-are they really receptive to advertising?:

Our expert panelists will debate questions such as….
• Are users influenced by advertising while they share photos with friends, update their status, or connect with colleagues?
• Have advertisers found success through this vehicle?
• Are advertisers able to control their exposure in order for it to not be tarnished?
• Are advertisers able to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns?
A recent Prospectiv survey showed that 58% of nearly 800 users of social networking sites say that very few of the ads and offers they're currently seeing on social networking sites match their specific interests and preferences, and another 29 % say none of them do. Is the solution to behaviorally target ads to increase clicks?

“Is Social Networking advertising a waste of Marketers’ money?”

Social Networking is the new poster child but is it sustainable in a society that has short attention spans, is multi-tasking, and seeks immediate stimulation. Should advertisers chase the latest trend or focus in other areas?

Please join CIMA for dinner and a discussion on "Social Networking: Do Consumers Respond to Advertisers' Messages anymore?" followed by a post-party “social networking” Open Bar Cocktail Party at The Grill on the Alley. Post-party is available to registered DinnerByte guests only.

Agenda:
6:30pm - 7:00pm Check-In/Registration
7:00pm - 7:30pm Dinner
7:30pm - 8:30pm Panel Discussion
8:30pm - 8:45pm Q & A
9:00pm - 10:30pm Cocktails (The Grill on the Alley)

Moderator:

Jen Brady, President, Innovative Marketing Consulting, LLC

Speakers:
Heidi Browning, SVP, Client Solutions MySpace
Art Sindlinger, Activation Director - Social Media & Gaming, Starcom
Eric Wheeler, CEO, 33across
Brad Keown, Midwest Director of Sales, Chicago office - Facebook

Location:
The Westin
909 N. Michigan Avenue
16th Floor

Cocktail/Reception Location:
The Grill on the Alley
Ground Level - Westin

Early Bird Special: (August 5th - October 1st)
Member Ticket(s) - $65
Nonmember Ticket(s) - $85
Ticket plus Membership - $165

Registration: (October 1st - October 13th)
Member Ticket(s) - $75
Nonmember Ticket(s) - $100
Ticket plus Membership - $165

CIMA will be donating 10% of the October’s event revenue on behalf of all the Panelists. Heidi Browning to the University of Chicago cancer research.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CO-SPONSOR:
YAHOO!

Register HERE

Jason Fried Chats with the Illinois Technology Association

I attended yesterday's Illinois Technology Association event, featuring a casual chat with 37 Signal's Jason Fried. I took some video (about 20 minutes long) before my FLIP ran out of juice.

I've heard Jason speak before, met him once and always thought he was a smart guy.  I'm not a software developer by any means, but the simple ideas and business examples that Jason presents makes me look at my own ideas differently. I like that challenge.

Here are some tidbits that resonated with me last night. Hopefully, they'll come in handy for some of you. Then again, I'm sure a hefty majority of you read the Signal v. Noise blog.  Much of the notes below won't be a surprise to you.

Understanding Why Marc Andreesen Left Illinois

A morning breakfast with a Chicago start-up resulted in me going back to the Crain's Chicago Business article I recently read. The term, 'technology transfer tax' seemed to stay in my head these last weeks and I set out to understand they 'why' behind the university + start-up mix.

Marc Andreesen, one of the brains behind Mosaic, which was developed at the University of Illinois, said this in an older PC World interview:

"We took Mosaic as far as we could in a research environment. [There,] we could do new things without worrying about return-on-investment requirements. But you couldn't hire support people for the users. The National Science Foundation doesn't pay for technical support people.  So we decided to start Netscape around this idea."

Marc went on to create Netscape and has since contributed millions to Stanford, including $27.5 million to Stanford Hospital.

Chicago New Media Summit Day 1 Highlights:David Armano, Jason Fried, Eric Olson, crowdSPRING, Jane Hirt

What is New Media? 

A two day conference in Chicago aimed to both answer this question and leave us with some food for thought (video follows below).

The Chicago New Media Summit kicked off its now renamed effort, the Chicago Convergence, to bring together people in various digital and media disciplines, pivoting Chicago forward as the “global New Media Capital of the world”.  Those words are paraphrasing those of the Summit’s organizor, John Patterson, and I commend him for such an inspired goal. The 18 minute presentations were a nice homage to TED. I like the challenge posed to the speakers: get your thoughts across in a concise manner and leave the audience with reasonable nuggets.

WIRED NextFest in Chicago: 9/27-10/12

Wired Magazine's NextFest hits Chicago's Millennium Park next week.  From September 27 - October 12, visitors will see the latest and greatest when it comes to innovation.  What exactly is NextFest?

WIRED NextFest is the premier showcase of the global innovations transforming our world. Now in its fifth year, WIRED's gallery of the future includes unique and bold exhibits of sustainable design, next generation healthcare, interactive art and games, humanoid robotics and more.

Join us at WIRED to experience the provocative, fun, groundbreaking work of 21st-century visionaries.

WIRED NextFest is FREE and Open to the Public.

HOURS:
Monday Closed
Tuesday - Wednesday 11-7
Thursday 12-8
Friday - Sunday 11-7

Enjoy!

EveryBlock Mentioned on Net at Night Podcast

Quick note and congrats to Adrian Holovaty and the crew at EveryBlock! I was listening to the latest Net at Night Podcast and Amber included EveryBlock in her list of links.

Leo was also impressed with the site's functionality, but I felt that one note was missed: the fact that EveryBlock is a Chicago start-up.  Now, it's not anyone's fault, per se, but I notice that other startups' locations are mentioned, whether it's Canada or California, on tech podcasts. 

I made a point to email Amber and let her know that EveryBlock happened to launch in Chicago. Hey, a little heads-up doesn't hurt, right?

Congrats, Adrian and I hope it results in more views for you!