Emerge Inc. Blog

Web-based Application Development & Interactive Marketing

Podcamp Ohio 2009

By: Ed June 22nd, 2009

podcamp_logoOn Saturday, Mike and I attended Podcamp Ohio on the campus of The Ohio State University. Podcamp is a gathering of people who desire to share and learn about new media in an open environment.

Following are just some of the take aways from the sessions I attended:

Creating a Website that Actually Looks GoodDaniel Lewis
7 Cs of good design – Contrast, Consistency, Cleanliness, Complementariness, Catchiness, Calling, Conscious recognition

5 Best Tips for LinkedInLewis Howes & Chris Brogan
This was an exceptional discussion on building up your personal networks by providing value. Or, as Chris Brogan, who joined the session via skype, puts it in his upcoming book, “Using the web to building influence, improve reputation and earn trust.”

Building a Strong BrandKrista Neher
A strong brand must connect logically (they actually deliver what they promise) and emotionally. To determine your brand identity 1) Assess the landscape; 2) Determine who you are trying to reach and why;3) Define your brand; 4) Bring your brand to life

Usability & Utility: Improving the User ExperienceCarol Smith and Joshua Smith
User experience combines 4 areas – 1) Functional (able to get something done); 2) Sensorial (visual, auditory); 3) Emotional (influenced by feelings rather than rational thinking); 4) Social (interactions with people). Happy users spend money; unhappy users leave.

What everybody missed during the digital revolutionDavid Esrati
To create value on the Internet, content and advertising must be relevant. Rather than broadcasting messages, advertisers should/will demand to speak specifically to customers who are interested and/or have a need for their product or service.

SEO Lightning SessionBill Condo
Session provided an overview of search engine optimization. Due to the rapidly evolving algorithms used by major search engines (I mean Google) I provide a link to seomoz.org rather than highlight what might become outdated.

You can review a few of my ‘real-time’ thoughts on Twitter.

Of course, some of the most valuable time was spent between sessions in conversation with some of the thought leaders in new media.

As always, if you would like to discuss any of these in additional details, please contact me.