SFIMA June Event Video

If you missed the SFIMA June Event all about Twitter and Social Media then I have two remedies for you! Here is the video recap of the Glitter of Twitter Event:



And if you are still jonesing for more Twitter help and Social Media information, then check out the SFIMA Workshop on July 17th! It is a full day on Twitter and Social Media. For more details see www.SFIMA.com!

Congrats to SFIMA Board Member Maria Perez!

Shari McConahay (left) and Maria Perez (right)

One of the SFIMA family is moving away from home! Congratulations are in order though, Maria Perez will be attending the prestigious Kelloggg Program at Northwestern University in Illinois for her MBA. Maria has served on the SFIMA board for several years as secretary and then as one of the programming chairs, specifically coordinating Miami events. Maria has been instrumental in many of the incredible events that SFIMA members and guests have enjoyed.

Thank you, Maria and good luck!

Do You Know What a Poken Is?

The latest little Social Media device and maybe the future of business cards! Here is SFIMA Board member Warren Corpus to show you how a Poken works! Want a Poken of your own? Check out a South Florida Poken supplier: www.PokenGirl.com

More Twitter Applications and Tips

I missed a few favorite Twitter Applications and tips in the last post about Twitter, so I thought I would add them here.

This past Monday night TweetDeck updated and added an application for the iPhone, and Tweet Deck is one of the most talked about Twitter Clients, so I thought that was worth mentioning.

Also worth mentioning:

Tweet Funnel: TweetFunnel funnels tweets from multiple users to one organizational twitter account with editorial control and approval. Assign tweets to your staff members, schedule tweets and monitor your brand on Twitter.

Twit Wall: With TwitWall, you can embed your favorite videos and widgets, upload your photos, mp3 music or podcasts, - you name it. Just the kind of stuff to keep your followers following (fans cheering, or clients calling). All that, while still enjoying the many social-goodness and customization features you enjoy on Twitter.

Twilerts: get daily email inbox updates on any keywords used on Twitter.

TwitBacks: Get professional looking backgrounds for your Twitter page.

TweedleDM: a Twitter aggregator that allows Tweeps to FINALLY search direct messages! Users can search by keyword, username, or whatever tickles your fancy!

Which Twitter Clients and Twitter applications are your favorites? Its always interesting to hear how people use Twitter and what applications and clients they use, so let us know!

Prevent Legal Issues When Twittering!

SFIMA Board Member and Technology Attorney, Gaida Zirkelbach was recently interviewed by the Miami Herald regarding legal issues and liabilities when using Twitter.

Be careful what you tweet -- it could get you fired!

BY BRIDGET CAREY AND NIALA BOODHOO poked@MiamiHerald.com

If there's one thing we preach to people getting on Twitter, it's this: Think before you tweet!

That's the message that Gaida Zirkelbach, a West Palm Beach technology and business attorney with Gunster, shared recently at a South Florida Interactive Marketing Association meeting. We spoke with the her about five points she shared at the event to help navigate the potential legal minefield of Twitter.

Here are some of the issues you can face:

Exposing company secrets

Retaliation/wrongful termination

Defamation

Contracts

Trademark infringement

Tweeting the wrong thing can not only get you fired, but get you into legal troubles as well. See the full story and keep out of Twitter Trouble!

SFIMA Day Long Workshop Coming in July!

If you enjoyed and learned from SFIMA's last educational event "The Glitter of Twitter" then you are going to love this! SFIMA will be holding a day long workshop on "The Glitter of Twitter and Social Media"

The workshop will be held on Friday, July 17th. So take the day off of work and come back to work looking like a Social Media Rock Star with all of the information you will gather in just one day!

Here are the details:

Friday, 7-17-2009

The Glitter of Twitter - A 1-Day Workshop On Social Media Marketing Covering Twitter, Podcasts, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogs & More

Join Us for a 1-Day Workshop Taught by Leading Professionals in Interactive, about:

Using Twitter and Social Media to Increase Profits
Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogs, Podcasts & more

Breakfast, lunch and snacks provided
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida 33314-7796
Carl DeSantis Building
Julian and Ellen Knight Lecture Hall, Room 1124

The media landscape is changing daily, and what worked last year may not work now. Social Media has emerged as one of the hottest trends and is being used to generate leads and profits for large and small businesses, nationally and locally. Most social media tools are free, but the challenge is to stand out from the 100 million others online. This SFIMA Workshop course will teach you the tools and tactics you need to attract customers and coverage.

The expert panel includes:

• Melissa Goodis of Crispin Porter Bogusky (the agency that won the Grand Effie Award for results related to the Burger King "Whopper Freakout" campaign)
• Jay Berkowitz, CEO of TenGoldenRules.com
• Catherine Schenquerman and Stephanie Leavitt from Carnival Cruise Lines
• J.B. Glossinger, founder of MorningCoach.com
• Mande White, founder of FreeSocialMediaHelp.com
• John Lawson, founder of ColderICE

These experts have personally launched successful programs in fast food, motivation, self-help, music, legal, hospitality, travel, high tech, retail and other industries.

This SFIMA WORKSHOP is a must-have for marketers and agencies that are looking to learn how to launch and manage successful social media marketing campaigns on a local and national basis.

SFIMA Workshop Agenda:

• Understanding the Social Media Landscape
• Social Media Channels and what they mean to your brand
• Social Media Monitoring, Measurements & Metrics
• Social Networks
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Widgets
• Blogs, Word Press and Podcasts
• Word of Mouth
• Creating Profits Through Social Media Marketing
• Social Media Case Studies
• And much more...

Who Should Attend:

Marketers:

• Online Marketing Directors
• Vice President of Marketing
• Marketing Directors
• Marketing Managers
• Business Development Staff
• Community Managers
• Customer Service Directors
• PR Directors
• PR Support Staff
• Editorial Staff
• Media Buyers
• Research & Consumer Insights Staff

Agencies:

• Digital Media Directors
• Media Planners
• PR Team
• Account Managers
• Creative Directors
• Creative Services Team
• Research Team
• Community Managers

Agenda for Course (details subject to change):

8:00 AM - 8:45AM Sign-In/Continental Breakfast
8:45 AM - 9:00 AM Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Morning Session
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Morning Break/Refreshments
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Morning Session Continued
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Luncheon Served
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM Afternoon Session
1:45 PM - 2:00 PM Early Afternoon Break/Refreshments
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Afternoon Session Continued
3:00 PM - 3:15 PM Afternoon Break/Refreshments
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM Afternoon Session Continued
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM Brand Case Study
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM Q&A All Panelists

This event costs $99 for SFIMA members. For non-members it costs $249, which includes a one-year membership to SFIMA. Membership includes free attendance at regular monthly programs and much more. There is also special $49 student pricing, when booked in advance and with a valid student ID. SFIMA Workshops sell out every time so don't get left out and register today. SFIMA Workshops focus on “how to” tactics and are priced 4 to 6 times lower than similar courses because SFIMA is a non-profit forum. Register for this event today.

Note: One Year SFIMA Membership included in the cost of $249 for Nonmembers.

Contact John Bejarano at: john@firstclassalliance.com for a student discount of $49 with a valid student ID.

Get Ready for the SFIMA July Educational Event

Thursday, 7-9-2009

Online Local Marketing

Local advertisers are finally beginning to realize that online advertising is as necessary now and the Yellow Pages print was in years past. Even if your business has nothing to do with the internet, people will still attempt to find you online. This event will educate you on various ways to make sure that your business shows up for local search results and ensure that your customers can find you. Local business owners and marketers will get some great tips and tricks to drive online traffic right through your front door and to your cash register. Don't miss this event and customers searching online won't miss your local business!

This event will be held at the W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale rather than the usual location at the Riverside Hotel. At the W Hotel, we will have the same great networking both before and after the presentation and you can look forward to some great live music as well as some great snacks and drinks.

More info to come - stay tuned!

Event Details Time/Date: 6:30 - 10:00 Thursday, 7-9-2009 Place: W Hotel 401 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 Contact: Membership@sfima.com Member Cost & Registration Non Member Cost & Registration $39

Recap of The SFIMA July Education Event: "The Glitter of Twitter"

In the spirit of the topic, I thought I would just post the SFIMA Twitter updates from during the panel discussion, its in reverse order of the latest tweets of the night down to the earliest:

1. Question from audience: what is the next big thing? A: probably Google Wave9:04 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
2. #tip even if twitter is not for your comapnt or you, GRAB your name!9:01 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
3. Question from audience: Is Twitter for EVERY company & how do you know or find out?9:00 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
4. Twitter is not about monetization for the Sun Sentinel but building a community & being prt of conversations is.8:57 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
5. Chris from Sun Sentinel said "no channel is an island" in response to the question about making money on Twitter8:56 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
6. Alex says that Twitter is about conversation, and the only way to make money is to not push it & engage in conversations & community8:55 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
7. Jet Blue will be making money on Twitter by using it to release some deals for flights on twitter8:52 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
8. Jeff from Pitney Bowes says that answwer is yet to come, but will be evident soon8:50 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
9. Question from@jayberkowitz how do you make money on twitter?8:49 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
10. for @alexdc Twitter is a time saver & to organize his online ventures & contacts8:48 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
11. RT @brianbreslin Q how has your exposure been influenced by Twitter? I get 15% hits via Twitter8:47 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
12. Alex uses Twhirl to manage his 7 Twitter accounts. Also mentioned: britekite, twitter kharma, twitterlator & quite a few others8:42 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
13. More on cotweet from John from Jet Blue: it will send you email alerts & it can be forwarded to an individual w/ notes8:41 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
14. ping.fm is a great way to update across all social median sites8:38 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
15. JetBlue uses cotweet tool for monitoring twitter8:37 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
16. Jeff alsi uses Seesmic as a tool for monitoring multiple accts & information8:37 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
17. Jeff uses TwitterBerry & Monitter.com8:36 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
18. Bitly is a tool for shortening urls & tracking them8:35 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
19. SunSentinel uses Twhirl but Chris uses Tweet Deck personally8:35 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
20. From @alexdc "what you tweet about will happen!"8:32 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
21. Alex uses Twitter for business, promoting social media clubs, & making personal connections8:32 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
22. The final panelist: @alexdc from StartPR.com & S. FL Social Media Guru - & I dont use that word lightly8:30 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
23. RT @dimensionmedia monitoring the sfima feed tonight maybe I'll stop by next month - Plz come & see us!8:29 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
24. Twitter allows @jetblue to monitor & make very fast real time changes to customer feedback #SFIMA8:26 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
25. Jet Blue monitors Twitter for customer feedback. How was you flight? How was your on board snack? @jetblue is listening!8:24 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
26. @jetblue John just let the room know that he doesn't Tweet for @jetblue8:22 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
27. why is @jetblue on Twitter? A: Their customers are on Twitter!8:19 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
28. Next up from the panel @jetblue8:18 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
29. Jeff uses Twitter for Pitney Bowes to get the msg across to interested individuals about their money saving shipping options8:16 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
30. Now up: Jeff Yaniga from Pitney Bowes @myworkaccount FYI they have nothing to do with Archery8:14 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
31. Now up;8:13 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
32. Thank you, Chris Tiedje for that great Twitter presentation @ctiedje @sunsentinel Great Info!8:13 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
33. Sun Sentinel Tweet Up @ The Bahia Mar June 18th8:11 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
34. @dearyvette thanks for the input any other ideas?8:09 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
35. The Sun Sentinel has actually rec'd breaking local news from twitter8:07 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
36. wondering everyone's thoughts on whether #hashtags are really necessary? thoughts?8:06 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
37. introducing the panel: @myworkaccount @sunsentinel @alexdc @jetblue and moderator @tammycamp8:02 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
38. oops that one got away! the video is called Twitter in Plain English8:00 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
39. always get questions about twitter from your friends? Look up the video that @tammycamp just showed;7:59 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
40. if you are not here, you just missed Warren rapping7:55 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
41. for the top 5 legal issues for businesses on Twitter want them? @Gaida7:52 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
42. now speaking: Gaida Zirklebach from tonight's sponsor Gunster law firm7:51 PM Jun 11th from mobile web
43. WOW! its a packed house for the SFIMA event!7:48 PM Jun 11th from mobile web

To see more tweets from the night (and there were lots of them!) just search SFIMA on www.search.twitter.com.

I heard such positive feedback after the event and through out the night. It seems that everyone really had a good time networking before and after the panel. Even seasoned Twitter users were able to learn new tips and tricks on how to use Twitter. It is also very interesting to see how people use Twitter, both for their companies as well as personally.

Here are a few more Twitter Tips I picked up from the panel:

Want to know how "well" you are doing on Twitter: www.TwitterGrader.com

Stats for your tweets: www.TweetStats.com

Twitter Clients and Tools:
It was mentioned during the panel that there were something like over 700,000 Twitter related websites. (WOW!)

Twhirl
Tweet Deck
Seesmic
Easy Tweets
TwitterBerry (mobile)
Tweetie (mobile)
CoTweet
Monitter.com
Twitterlator
Twitter Kharma
BriteKite
Bit.ly (for tracking and shortening links)
Cligs (for tracking and shortening links)

Just to name a few.

The overall theme that I took from most users, is that whether you are using Twitter for personal use or business use, you have to breathe some life and personality into your account, and consider Twitter a conversation. There are very few who can use Twitter as a message board and be successful at it with a lot of followers.

One of the big questions posed by @JayBerkowitz (as he introduced himself to the crowd) was how to make money on Twitter. And there was much debate over this question. There are a few companies doing very well on Twitter. Dell, comes to mind first. But as far as the average company or business person making money on Twitter, the overwhelming answer was that there was no definite business model for that. No formula for making money on Twitter, or anything like that. Most of the panelists answered that business at least need to use Twitter to pay attention to their customers. Twitter is very good for monitoring customer comments and the like.

Here are some photos from the event:



Who can boast a year long networking setting like this?



The sun sets as we network, snack and drink at SFIMA!



SFIMA Presidend Taigh White with panel moderator Tammy Camp
Photo courtesty Becker PR



Left to Right: Tammy Camp, Travis Berger, Taigh White, Christ Tiedje, Jon Bejarano
Photo courtesty Becker PR


Grazie Atunes & Melissa Mackenzie
Photo courtesty Becker PR



SFIMA Board Member Susan Delz and SFIMA Past President Joe Laratro
Photo courtesty Becker PR


Jayne Wesner, Shari McConahay Christina Tierney
Photo courtesty Becker PR


Taigh White introducing the panel for the Glitter of Twitter Event


A new feature at SFIMA eventsL Live Music!


Board members: Shari McConahay and Maria Perez


The view from the panel

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Wow, what a meeting at SFIMA on Thursday evening: The Glitter of Twitter and Social Media. We had 189 people in attendance and I would like to thank all of those who attended. And for those 53 who registered and were not able to make it, you missed an event. This meeting was my first meeting as SFIMA President and the benchmark has been set very high. It looks like I may have to ask everyone who attended to bring a friend with them next time just so I can meet the next attendee count hurdle.

It was great to see the new members this month in our new member meet/greet/drink/eat pre-networking party. We welcomed them with open arms and I am glad to hear that several wanted to get more involved via volunteering or offering their company services gratis. Special thanks to the Membership Committee who came out to make everyone feel so welcome.

Thursday's meeting even had a sax player to entertain us while networking. It was a nice touch and contributes to our goal of “making every event an EVENT” this year.

Lastly, it was nice seeing some new faces in the crowd, and there were many including: Macy’s, Boston Proper, Aspen Air Conditioning, Assist-Card, Food for the Poor, AMC Liquidator and more.

Thanks to the speakers, Chris Tiedje, Jeffrey Yaniga, Alex de Carvalho, John Dowdy and the moderator Tammy Camp. And thanks to each and every attendee for making the event a success.

Oh one more thing, don’t forget to mark your calendars for our upcoming events. Our July workshop on Twitter and Social Media is already filling up. August looks like it will be over 400 people.

Thanks again for a great meeting,

Taigh White


p.s. You know an organization is good when attendees bring their children. Sure they may have been adult children, but still the same …. Teaching them a good thing when they know it is a good thing.

New Panelists Added for The Glitter of Twitter Event This Thursday!

Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Glitter of Twitter & Social Media, sponsored by Gunster

Panelists
Chris Tiedje - Sun-Sentinel
http://twitter.com/SunSentinel

Jeffrey Yaniga - Pitney Bowes
http://twitter.com/myworkaccount

Alex de Carvalho
http://twitter.com/alexdc

Alex is the co-founder of StartPR, an online tracking service for reputation management, blogger relations, and brand monitoring. StartPR is a company that helps you to notice and engage with people who are mentioning you and your products online.

Alex is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami and he occasionally teaches a semester-long class on social media. Students from the School of Communication, including aspiring journalists and PR professionals, explore social media topics and case studies involving online identity and expression, community engagement, brand building, and citizen journalism.

Alex works with the Knight Center for International Media in addition to other projects. He consults to businesses on their use of social networks and social media to build community relationships and brands. He also organizes regular South Florida web and technology meetups, including RefreshMiami, BarCampMiami, MobileMondayMiami, and Social Media Club South Florida.

John Dowdy
http://twitter.com/jetblue

John Dowdy is Coordinator of Regional Marketing for JetBlue Airways at the value airline's headquarters in Forest Hills, NY. He has been at JetBlue since January 2008, joining the Regional Marketing team in July 2008. As Coordinator of Regional Marketing, John is responsible for managing marketing projects across JetBlue's national network and coordinating Crewmember outreach and internal communications projects. He is a member of JetBlue's social media team and helps maintain JetBlue's presence on Twitter at: http://twitter. com/jetblue.

Prior to joining JetBlue, John held various roles in marketing and media and news production. He attended Harding University, majoring in Public Relations and Broadcast Journalism. John splits his time between New York and Central Florida. In his spare time, John enjoys graphic design, traveling, and flying.

Moderator
Tammy Camp
http://twitter.com/TammyCamp

An adventurer at heart, Tammy Camp's accomplishments as a serial Internet entrepreneur have elevated her to self-made millionaire status. When it comes to Web marketing, she is recognized as a leading authority. Her focus areas of expertise lie in social media marketing, pay per click marketing and search engine optimization. Starting from her tiny makeshift home office with just a few hundred dollars, Tammy has personally sold over $35,000,000—and counting—online. As a testament to her social networking guru status, Tammy has authored and published the book “Social Media Success.”

About Gunster Attorneys At Law:
Florida's Lawyer's for Business. Gunster is a vibrant, forward-thinking firm with its finger on the pulse of Florida's business climate. Fourteen practices address the many facets of business: Banking and Financial Services; Business Litigation; Corporate; Environmental and Land Use; Immigration; International; Labor and Employment; Leisure and Resorts; Private Wealth Services; Probate, Trust and Guardianship Litigation; Real Estate; Securities; Tax; and Technology and Entrepreneurial Companies.

Follow SFIMA Tweets at: http://twitter.com/SFIMA

Details >>

Reputations Management in a Company Crisis and Social Media

Aliza Sherman wrote an article for WebWorkDaily.com. She outlines 8 clear steps to take in the event that a communications crisis happens, either to an individual or a business.

"We’ve all learned that good news travels fast online, but bad news travels faster. Now, with social networks, blogs and microblogs, the speed with which bad news can travel online is staggering, as everyone can get in on the conversation almost instantly. What can any of us — individuals, organizations and companies — do to handle a social media communications crisis?"
To read the details and the full article see: Crisis Communications for the Social Media Age.
Here are the 8 steps.

1. Pay attention.

2. Review context.

3. Address promptly.

4. Acknowledge first.

5. Don’t overthink.

6. Be open.

7. Fix the problem.

8. Tell your story.

Want to Get Involved with SFIMA?

As the new SFIMA fiscal year is starting, just a quick post to let you know that we are always looking for SFIMA members to get involved and help out with organization events. Its a great way to get to know people and network even better. Please contact any board member or post a comment or send us a tweet.

We are in the beginning stages of planning our annual networking cruise! This year is is in October with a masquerade theme and is sure to be a blast. Want to get involved and help with planning, decorations, sponsoring? We would love to have YOU on board!

Online Businesses See Increase in "Friendly Fraud"

The Wall Street Journal Online reporting:

Online merchants are fighting a surge in so-called friendly fraud, as more consumers try to get out of paying for their Internet purchases in the recession.

Online jeweler Ice.com Inc. and travel site Expedia Inc. are among companies seeing at least 50% spikes from October in friendly fraud, a term used to describe when a consumer disputes an online charge but doesn't return the item or has already used the product.

Common scenarios include consumers falsely claiming they never received a product or they received the wrong item. Other consumers deny they ever authorized the charge and refuse to pay.

See the whole article on WSJ.com

Bloomberg.com: "Consumer Confidence in Economy Jumps"

A Bloomberg.com article last week reported some good news about the economy (finally!)

"U.S. Economy: Consumer Confidence Jumps by Most in Six Years"

Confidence among U.S. consumers jumped in May by the most in six years, fueling speculation the economy will recover later this year.

The Conference Board’s sentiment index surged to 54.9, higher than forecast, according to figures from the New York- based research group today. A report from S&P/Case-Shiller showed home prices continued to plunge.

Stocks climbed for the first time in five days on speculation a lifting of the gloom surrounding the worst recession in half a century may spur consumers, who account for 70 percent of the economy, to spend. Still, rising unemployment and falling real estate values underscore that it will take time to establish a sustained rebound.

Read the full artcle at Bloomberg.com by Shobhana Chandra: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a8v1JKA2X9ag&refer=home

Questions for the SFIMA Board of Directors?

SFIMA's fiscal year ended last month and a new board of directors is stepping in to take the reigns. Please welcome Taigh White as our new president! Taigh is very enthusiastic and has great plans to help SFIMA continue to soar as a leader for interactive marketing in South Florida.
Please join us in thanking Joe Laratro for his year as president. Many great things were accomplished this year and we thank Joe for his guidance, leadership and vision to get things done.

Meet your new board and officers. (A combination of some old and new faces.)

For the coming year SFIMA strives to continue bringing excellent educational and social events to the interactive community every month. Networking with local colleges and schools in addition to businesses and individuals. We also suppor the local South Florida community through our charity efforts. And we join other interactive and marketing agencies here in South Florida as the technology and interactive jobs in this area are only increasing, South Florida is becoming known as Silicon Beach.

The SFIMA Board of Directors is scheduled to have our annual board retreat this Saturday. We will spend half a day meeting and brain storming ideas for the upcoming year. Please let us know your ideas and suggestions through comments on the blog or on twitter (www.Twitter.com/SFIMA) so that we can make sure that the ideas of the membership are being represented and carried out by the board.

SFIMA Board Member Eric Archuleta Speaking at IRCE

Congratulations to SFIMA Board Member and E-Commerce Expert Eric Archuleta. Eric will be speaking at the 2009 Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in Boston later this month.

IRCE 2009 is a four-day conference featuring 179 speakers in 94 sessions devoted to the strategies and tools that e-retailers can use to thrive in a recession that pulls the rest of retailing down. Hence the theme: Rising Above—Not Just Surviving—the Economic Storm. The agenda, which has fewer general sessions than last year and many more specific breakout sessions and tracks that are targeted to specific e-retailer needs.

Who Needs Twitter? Skip Right to Sixth Sense

Okay, this blew me away and it takes a lot to do that. Check out this video about upcoming technology that for the price of a cell phone will allow us to access all of the data on the Internet in real time during our normal course of life. The combination of a tiny camera, projector and fingertip sensors used with a cell phone promise to deliver a Star Trek-like experience of a portable totally interactive computer interface to the web. A must see demonstration: http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html