Web 2.0 Summit

Thanks to our new client, CMP Media, I was able to get my hands on a much-sought-after ticket to the exclusive Web 2.0 Conference this week (described in the pages of Business Week as "the annual gathering of the digerati creme"). Here's my take...

Day One

Showed up 15 minutes late because I couldn't find a cab this morning. Session I wanted (Marketing: Where Are We Now?) was so crowded, I couldn't even squeeze into the room to stand in back. So were the next two rooms I checked. Finally settled on "Using Gadgets and Macros to Your Advantage" which had about 14 people in the audience. It was basically a couple of guys from Microsoft showing off their new Windows Live version of Google Maps. Shameless plug for their own crap. It was really refreshing. Completely renewed my disdain for Microsoft. Crown glory moment was when Windows crashed in the middle of their presentation.

Next up, "Advertising 2.0." Got a seat this time. A panel hosted by the CEO of About.com. Very impressive group, particularly Adam Gerber from Brightcove.

Third and best workshop I attended today, however, was "How the Net Generation Changes Marketing and Management" with Don Tapscott, CEO of a think tank called New Paradigm and writer of a bunch of books. He just did a bunch of research on the Echo generation (the children of the Baby Boomers) and presented it in the session. He uses the term Net Generation to describe young people between the ages of 4 and 25 because this is the first generation to grow up with the internet. To them, "technology is like air," it's just part of their natural living environment and because of their lifelong exposure to it, these kids actually process information differently than any generation before it.