The document discusses how meeting industry websites are evolving from static information delivery sites to more dynamic sites that enable interaction. It proposes that meeting planners will need to incorporate web 2.0 technologies like wikis, social networking, blogs, videos and webinars, microsites and content management systems to facilitate this evolution. The presentation provides an overview of 7 key enabling technologies - Wikipedia, social networking, blogs/RSS feeds, videos/podcasts/webinars, microsites, advergaming and content management systems - and how they can be applied in the meetings industry.

1. uncommoninsight
+ uniqueapproach
+ extraordinarytools
exceptionalresults
Internet Technologies
Enhancing the
Meetings Environment
MPI Virginia Chapter (VAMPI)
November 1, 2007
Background: SCN, MTO and knowledge of web 2.0
MeetingTechOnline focuses on the education of technology
in the meetings industry. Derive content from qualitative
interviews with “you”. Show producers, meeting planners,
association executives who are involved in the design,
implementation and execution of tradeshow, conference and
event tools.
My privilege: Gather information to understand the trends and
innovations that are occurring.
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2. Premise & Content
Meeting industry web sites will evolve from information delivery to
interaction enablement.
Meeting planners will need to buy, build or rent applications and tools
that create interaction.
7 enabling (web 2.0) technologies
• Wikipedia
• Social Networking
• Blogs/RSS Feeds
• Podcasts/Video/Webinars
• MicroSites
• Advergaming/Google Ads
• Content Management Systems
Premise of this presentation:
The main role of association web sites is evolving from
information delivery to interaction enablement.
In order to facilitate that evolution, associations will need to
buy, build or rent applications and tools that create interaction.
7 enabling technologies that can help associations evolve.
Wikipedia
Social Networking
Blogs/RSS/Online Forums
Video/Podcasts/Webinars
MicroSites/Advergaming/Google Ads
Content Management Systems
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3. Today’s Presentation
Overview of Web 2.0
Define 7 enabling technologies
• Glimpse of real world examples
• Understand adoption and application of these tools
Answer Questions
Lot of websites – buckle up
Humor when needed
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4. Web 2.0 Overview
web 2.0 is a term suggesting a
new version of the World Wide
Web, it does not refer to an
update to any technical
specifications, but to changes in
the ways software developers
and end-users use the web.
• web 2.0 tools facilitate
collaboration and sharing
between users
• users generate and distribute
content, often with freedom to
share and re-use
Web 2.0 refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services —
such as social-networking sites, and wikis — which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing
between users. The term was first coined by Tim O'Reilly of O'Reilly Media at a Web 2.0 conference
in 2004.
Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to any technical
updates, but rather changes in the ways software developers and end-users navigate the web.
According to O'Reilly, "Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the
move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new
platform."
Web 2.0 can be defined as technologies such as weblogs, social bookmarking, wikis, podcasts, RSS
feeds, social networking software, web application programming interfaces (APIs), and online web
services such as eBay and Gmail provide a significant enhancement over read-only information
delivery websites. Youtube and MySpace are two more recent examples of web 2.0 that have
impacted our environment. Most websites today are still information delivery websites.
Web 2.0 has been described as “genuine interactivity if you like, simply because people can upload
as well as download”
Web 2.0 also includes a social element where users generate and distribute content, often with
freedom to share and re-use. The result is a rise in the economic value of the Web as users can do
more online.
Video
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5. Web 2.0 Overview
website of 90’s: MeetingTechOnline
• Static content
• Difficult to modify – required a web developer
• Organization centric
• One way communications
• Cluttered messaging
• No enabling tools
web 2.0 Websites: MeetingTechOnline v2
• Dynamic
• Community centric
• Multi-flow communications
• Clean focused messaging
• Enabling tools
• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Modifications not requiring IT expertise
Website of 90’s: MeetingTechOnline
Static content
Difficult to modify – required a web developer
Organization centric
One way communications
Cluttered messaging
No enabling tools
Web 2.0 Websites: MeetingTechOnline v2
Dynamic
Community centric
Multi-flow communications
Clean focused messaging
Enabling tools
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Modifications not requiring IT expertise
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6. Wikipedia
wikipedia is multilingual, web-based, encyclopedia project, operated by the
Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization.
• Examples
• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
• SIGCOMM
• CeBIT
• MeetingTechOnline
Wikipedia's name comes from the words wiki (a type of collaborative website) and encyclopedia.
Wikipedia is considered a web 2.0 tool example because of the shift from a traditional encyclopedia
of one source of information – publisher to multiple source – collaborative efforts of community users.
As of September 2007, Wikipedia had approximately 8.2 million articles in 253 languages, comprising
a combined total of over 1.4 billion words for all Wikipedias.
Wikipedia's articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers – the wikipedia community -
around the world and the vast majority of them can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet. It
today ranks among the top ten most-visited websites worldwide.
Due to Wikipedia's open nature, critics have questioned its reliability and accuracy. The site has been
criticized for its susceptibility to vandalism and the addition of false or unverified information, uneven
quality, systemic bias and inconsistencies,and for favoring consensus over credentials in its editorial
process.
Wikipedia's content policies do try to address these concerns.
Two scholarly studies have concluded that vandalism is generally short-lived and that Wikipedia is
generally as accurate as other encyclopedias
When "You" was awarded Time Person of the Year 2006, praising the accelerating success of on-
line collaboration and interaction by millions of users around the world, Wikipedia was the first
particular "Web 2.0" service mentioned, followed by YouTube and MySpace.
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7. Wikipedia
A wiki is computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link web
pages. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, power
community websites, and are increasingly being installed by businesses to
provide affordable and effective Intranets or for use in Knowledge
Management.
How to utilize wikis
• Creation of online community encyclopedia
• Marketing
• Participation in definitions
• Definitions are power
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8. Social Networking
social network solution focuses on the building and verifying of online social
networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or who
are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others, and which
necessitates the use of software.
key elements of a great social networking solution
• user experience
• Intuitive
• valid
• Established trust with profile information
• Profiles with drag and drop words
• Community business intelligence
• Social networking tools: introNetworks, BD Metrics, a2zInc. NetZone,
A social network solution focuses on the building and verifying of online social
networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are
interested in exploring the interests and activities of others, and which necessitates
the use of software.
Most social network solutions are primarily web based and provide a collection of
various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice
chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on.
The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of
some categories (such as former classmates), attending TSAE, means to connect
with friends (usually with self-description pages). There is also a trust element that
background information will not be abused. Popular methods now combine many of
these, with MySpace and Facebook being the mostly widely used in 2007.
Key elements to a social networking solution:
User Experience - true Web 2.0 Rich Internet Application.
Patented method of creating a profile with drag and drop words is 100%
customizable, with real-time updating. Backbone of the entire system and
drives the sophisticated matching engine –no other systems offer.
Community Business Intelligence gained before the event, well in advance,
and with enough time to make relevant changes – as well as after the event
to affect changes in future events.
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9. Blogs and RSS
blog (web log) is a website where entries are written in
chronological (reverse) order.
Provide commentary or news.
Combines text, images, links, web pages, video, etc.
Gartner predicts peak in 2007
How can meeting planners utilize blogs?
• Grassroots stimulation
• Opinion leader involvement
• Community participation
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food,
politics, or local news; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog
combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media
related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format
is an important part of many blogs – hence the web 2.0 collaborative nature. Most
blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs
(photoblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) and are part of a
wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which
consists of blogs with very short posts.
Gartner forecasts that blogging will peak in 2007, leveling off when the number of
writers who maintain a personal website reaches 100 million. Gartner analysts
expect that the novelty value of the medium will wear off as most people who are
interested in the phenomenon have checked it out, and new bloggers will offset the
number of writers who abandon their creation out of boredom. The firm estimates
that there are more than 200 million former bloggers who have ceased posting to
their online diaries, creating an exponential rise in the amount of "dotsam" and
"netsam" — that is to say, unwanted objects on the Web.
How can associations utilize blogs?
Grassroots stimulation
Opinion leader involvement
Community participation
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10. Blogs and RSS
RSS
Family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content (push)
RSS document contains either summary of content from associated web site or the full text.
RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated
manner that's easier than checking them manually.
How to use Blog Feeder Applications
• My Yahoo!
• Google
• BlogLine
RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content
such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is
called a "feed," "web feed," or "channel," contains either a summary of content from
an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up
with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking
them manually.
Key to blogs – make a RSS feeder tool available to increase participation and
involvement in blog topics.
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11. Podcasts/Video/Webinars
Podcasts
Digital media file distributed over the Internet
Podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by ability to be syndicated,
subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added
Costs are minimal
Resources around video and audio creation
Apple supports loading the content to the Apple
store where it can be down loaded for free
A podcast is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the
Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and
personal computers. The term, like "radio", can refer either to the content itself or to
the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting.
The term "podcast" comes from the words "iPod" and "broadcast", the Apple iPod
being the brand of portable media player for which the first podcasting scripts were
developed. These scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred to a mobile
device after they are downloaded.
Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their
content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to
be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is
added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as
RSS
why post audio when video is more engaging.
bandwidth is reaching acceptable levels
youtube has established the standard with an ubiquitous player
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12. Podcasts/Video/Webinars
Video
YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video
clips.
Visually dynamic content is becoming easier to access with greater bandwidth and
improved connectivity speeds.
Webinar/Web conferencing
Used to conduct live meetings or presentations over the Internet.
In a web conference, each participant sits at their own computer, and is connected to
other participants via the internet.
Downloaded application on each of the attendees computers or a web-based
application.
Webinar is a web conference where the direction of the presentation is primarily one
way from the presenter to the audience
A webinar however can be designed to be interactive between the presenter and
audience.
Web conferencing
Used to conduct live meetings or presentations over the Internet.
In the early years of the Internet, the terms "web conferencing" and "computer
conferencing" were often used to refer to group discussions conducted within a
message board (via posted text messages) therefore not live, but the term has
evolved to refer specifically to "live" or "synchronous" meetings, while the posted
message variety of discussion is called a "forum", "message board", or "bulletin
board".
In a web conference, each participant sits at their own computer, and is connected
to other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on
each of the attendees computers or a web-based application where the attendees
will simply enter a "URL" or website meeting address to enter the live meeting or
conference. These web-based applications are used either with Flash or Java
technology.
A webinar is a type of web conference, although the direction of the presentation
more often than not is primarily one way from the presenter to the audience as in a
Webcast, which is transmission of information in one direction only, like watching a
concert on the internet. A webinar however can be designed to be interactive
between the presenter and audience. A webinar is 'live' in the sense that information
is conveyed according to an agenda, with a starting and ending time. In most cases,
the presenter may speak over a standard telephone line, pointing out information
being presented on screen, and the audience can respond over their own
telephones.
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13. Podcasts/Video/Webinars
Benefits of Webinars
• No travel costs
• Ease of access
• Reach a larger audience
• Reduce cost
• Digitally record and allow future playback
Webinars Tools
WebEx – first and standard in industry
TelSpan
Adobe Connect Pro
Citrix GoToMeeting
ConferenceMan
Microsoft LiveMeeting
Webinar Pricing Models
Monthly Fees: $50 – 500 monthly depending on functionality, number of users, etc.
Set-up Fees: $0 - $3,000
Per User: $0 - $200
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14. Microsite
microsite is an Individual web page or
cluster of pages which are meant to
function as an auxiliary supplement to a
primary website.
• own URL.
• Specialized group of information either
editorial or commercial.
• Main distinction: microsite has purpose
and specific cohesiveness
• May be used for purely commercial
purposes to create in-depth information.
• Can be created specifically to carry
such contextual advertising or created
in order to specifically carry topic-
specific keyword-rich content.
What is a Microsite?
also known as a minisite or weblet, is an Internet web design term referring to an individual web
page or cluster of pages which are meant to function as an supplement to a primary website. The
microsite's main landing page most likely has its own URL.
Typically used to add a specialized group of information either editorial or commercial. Such sites
may be linked in to a main site or used for a temporary purpose. The main distinction of a
microsite is its purpose and specific cohesiveness as compared to the microsite's broader overall
parent website.
Microsites used for editorial purposes may be a page or group of pages that, for example, might
contain information about a holiday, an event or similar item which gives more detailed information
than a site's general content area may provide. A community organization may have its main site with
all of the organization's basic information, but create a separate, temporary microsite to inform about
a particular activity, event or similar.
Often, microsites will be used for editorial purposes by a commercial business to add editorial value.
For example, a retailer of party goods may create a microsite with editorial content about the history
of Halloween or some other holiday or event. The commercial purpose of such editorial microsites,
(beyond driving product sales), may include adding value to the site's visitors for branding purposes
as well as providing editorial content and keywords allowing for greater chances of search engine
inclusion.
Microsites may be used for purely commercial purposes to create in-depth information about a
particular product or service or as editorial support towards a specific product, such as describing a
new technology. A car manufacturer, for example, may present a new hybrid vehicle and support the
sales presentation with a microsite specific to explaining hybrid technology.
With the prevalence of keyword contextual advertising, (more commonly referred to as Pay per click
or PPC), microsites may be created specifically to carry such contextual advertising. Or along a
similar tactic, they're created in order to specifically carry topic-specific keyword-rich content with the
goal of having search engines rank them highly when search engine users seek such content topics.
14

15. Advergaming
advergaming is the practice of using video games to advertise a product,
organization or viewpoint.
• CandyStand
• MillsBerry.com
• WebKinz
Application to tradeshows and conferences
• Scavenger hunt on exhibitor floor?
15

16. Google Ads
AdSense (GoogleAds) is an ad serving program run by Google.
Low cost advertising model that allows purchase of click responses. Because user
demonstrates interest, qualified respondent are filtered through thousands of internet
searches.
No click?
• Associating Organization Brand with search.
• ATI accountant located by Google ads
• Realtor wife finds new customers
• Association community advertisement?
• Meeting professional does a search on industry certifications – TSAE Google ad?
• University of Texas planner seeking an association to join.
When to buy?
Try it out – set aside some small test dollars
and experiment with different ads, markets.
Engage a consultant.
AdSense (GoogleAds) is an ad serving program run by Google. Website owners
can enroll in this program to enable text, image and, more recently, video
advertisements on their sites.
Low cost advertising model that allows purchase of click responses. Because user
demonstrates interest, qualified respondent are filtered through thousands of
internet searches.
No click? Associating Your Brand/Association with their search.
ATI Accountant located by Google ads
Realtor wife finds new customers
Association community advertisement?
Meeting professional does a search on industry certifications – TSAE
Google ad?
University of Texas planner seeking an association to join.
When to buy? Try it out – set aside some small test dollars and experiment with
different ads, markets. Engage a consultant.
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17. Content Management System
A content management system (CMS) is a software system used for content
management.
• Deployed primarily for interactive use
• Wikipedia
• Includes computer files, image media, audio files, electronic documents and web
content.
• Make files available inter-office, as well as over the web.
A Content Management System (CMS) is a software system used for content
management. Content management systems are deployed primarily for interactive
use by a potentially large number of contributors. For example, the software for the
website Wikipedia is based on a wiki, which is a particular type of content
management system.
The content managed includes computer files, image media, audio files, electronic
documents and web content. The idea behind a CMS is to make these files
available inter-office, as well as over the web. A Content Management System
would most often be used as an archive as well. Many companies use a CMS to
store files in a non-proprietary form. Companies use a CMS to share files with ease,
as most systems use server-based software, even further broadening file
availability. Many Content Management Systems include a feature for Web Content,
and some have a feature for a "workflow process."
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18. Content Management System
A CMS example
Presentation Download
18

19. Dynamic Content Example
Applying web 2.0 to the registration process
Presentation Download
19

20. Driving evolution
Meeting planners must be tech savvy!
• Not experts – just savvy.
Applications drive interaction.
Great user experiences.
Technology infrastructure requirements
• Nimble
• Content Neutral
• Robust Content Databases
• Go Mobile Fast
Build content syndication and micro-site content strategies
Association leadership for community relationships must be tech savvy!
Media partnerships and links are nice but applications drive interaction.
Need someone who can identify great user experiences and then
leverage them on behalf of your association community.
Technology infrastructure requirements
Nimble – the ability to integrate third party applications quickly
Content Neutral – support multiple data formats and media
formats
Robust Content Databases – Be able to link your content to the
proper topics and industry terms
Go Mobile Fast – We have an entire generation who thinks email
is a waste of time, build strategies for using the cell number as
your primary marketing tool
Build content syndication and micro-site content strategies
The web is starved for great content, design and deliver
information optimized for syndication and multi-use.
20

21. Links
• Tradeshow Week
www.tradeshowweek.com
• ExpoWeb
Hot Contractor Technologies
MeetingTechOnline
•
www.meetingtechonline.com Stephen Nold
12741 Research Blvd.
• IAEE eMERGE Conference Suite 402B
www.emergeblog.com Austin, Texas 78759
• IntroNetworks 512.310.0628
www.intronetworks.com stephen@advontech.com
• ASP Inc.
www.aspevents.com Yahoo im: snoldt05
skype: Stephen Nold
• btqnet
www.btqnet.com
Blogs: eMERGEBlog
• FGSquared
www.fg2.com Tradeshow Week Event Tech Blog
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