The “Me”dia Interactive Wheel September 23, 2009 By Shelley Russell
Davis Foulger’s Ecological Model of the Communications Process is good, but not great. At first glance, it appears to include most elements of current communication. Foulger’s dotted lines between the creators and consumers indicate that there is some crossover between the two. Message, languages and media are in the center to indicate that messages are transmitted in between producers/creators and consumers/audiences. But then Foulger’s model takes a wrong turn: He asserts that creators “imagine and create messages” and consumers “observe, attribute and interpret messages.” True, but these definitions exclude the more active consumer base, or the “prosumers.” Who is to say that the consumers aren’t the ones who are creating or imagining original content? This is the definition of blogging and user‐generated information on the Web. Producers, as mentioned multiple times in Charlene Li’s “The Groundswell,” should be constantly observing and interpreting their message as well. Success comes from listening to consumers and responding to their needs. Foulger’s model also leaves out the idea that consumers are communicating with each other—more now than ever before. Interpretation of messages occurs within the consumer base, not just per individual Web user. With all this being said, how can one create a model that includes all of the necessary components? Interactive media is allowing for a more transparent information flow, making it more difficult to define specific roles in the communication timeline. Where can individuals confidently place themselves in any existing model? With the help of classmates Paul Wagner, Linda Misiura, Jordan Yost and Andrew Rushton, we were able to develop a new working model, the “Me”dia, or the “Me” model: An interactive wheel of message processing. Instead of focusing on additional players in communications, this model focuses on the individual. Each instance of the wheel represents one person. The inner wheel portrays different types of messages in terms of their participatory levels, or opportunities for creative input by the consumer. The outer wheel defines the different roles that consumers can play in the communications process: Creators, responders, lurkers and inactive audience. The outer wheel spins independently, thereby illustrating that consumers do not take on one role, but instead they transform depending on the message, and the personality of the individual who is viewing the message.
The future of social networking: Predictions and insight from a professional September 28, 2009 Shelley Russell Today’s lecture focused on my research topic, the future of social networking. My research has been extended to include privacy issues as well. Out of all the sources I have collected regarding the future of social networking, Charlene Li’s prediction seems very logical. According to a blog post from Forrester Research (http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2008/03/the‐future‐of‐s.html), Li writes: “Social networks will be like air.” She discusses ubiquitous social networking sites, attributing them to a necessity that will possess all of our connections. Key terms from the blog post include the idea of a universal identity, a single social graph, social context for activities and social influence defining marketing value. But if social networks are everywhere, what will this mean in terms of security and privacy? There are already numerous issues related to social networks and privacy. Users are concerned about vague privacy policies and how their information is being used. I spoke with Mihir Kshirsagar, a former fellow at EPIC, who offered insight about how concerns about privacy will change over time: “Today we are still in the collection mode. People are still trying to understand the ways that their information is collected. But in the future it is going to be about how information is processed, and what decisions are being made based on the way that it is processed.” According to Kshirsagar, defining privacy in terms of social networks is synonymous with defining control of information. Users want to be able to manipulate and use their own personal data in the ways that are useful to them. Kshirsagar discussed the fact that in the real world, information is collected for one use and one use only, such as a credit card transaction, but this information collection in social networks may not be for just one use. We are so quick to give out details about our lives on Facebook profiles because we think that it is going to be shared only between our friends. Kshirsagar offered a real‐world example to illustrate the ways that social networking sites can collect personal information from users and manipulate it to their advantage: “I go to a Dunkin Donuts to get a donut. I know that the storeowner knows I am buying this. I give money and I get the donut. That information is being collected in a very specific context. Imagine if the same storeowner then collects information
about how may donuts I have bought in a period of time. Then someone else comes and buys that information. Then they use it to market more things to me. Maybe they will sell it to my insurance carrier so they can see if I am at a risk of a heart attack.” The fact that the above example could become a reality in the near future is startling. How can we maintain control of our information if it is being collected and exchanged amongst third‐party Web sites without our consent? Privacy laws in Europe and Canada have been re‐worked and extended to include protection of privacy and personal information online. We have not yet adapted our laws in the U.S.; although the White House has hired a social media archivist and is clearly aware of the growing presence and importance of social networking sites. Hopefully these changes will happen soon, as more and more organizations such as EPIC testify before Congress and work to enact change.
Search engine optimization and site maintenance October 4, 2009
By Shelley Russell
After reading “Be the Media” Chapter 9, I found that I learned many important tips about search engine optimization and the importance of knowing the tools that are available to aid in the creation and maintenance of Web sites. While I am learning a lot about the Web design process in the iMedia program, I had not read much about specific tools available to insure that a site will gain an audience and remain competitive. 85 percent of users will find a site using search engines, so it is essential to improve page rank through keywords and meta‐tags on the Web site. When reading the chapter, I was surprised that many of the tools available to improve page rank are easy to apply to a Web site. During the Digital Media Workshop in August, I became more skilled at using Dreamweaver, but I was not taught about the importance of filling in image tags and establishing a title page for a Web site. It is so simple to title a Web document, but many student Web sites say “Untitled” at the top of the Web site window. This alone is enough to greatly decrease a page rank because the site will not be search friendly. If the majority of Web users rely on search engines, it is also important to utilize off‐ page optimization factors, which Mathison says are even more important for ranking than on‐page factors. These factors include commenting on blogs or discussion boards, publishing stories on other Web sites, or submitting articles to
directories. The biggest take‐away from this chapter is something that I am pushing myself to do on a regular basis: When you have created a Web site and it is finally online, the work is far from being finished. Making the site live is just the first step. For any sort of success, creators must be constantly active on the Web. They are not just creators of Web sites, but participants looking to spread a brand and draw in users/readers. It is my instinct to create something, display it and then move on to another project. But a Web site is never complete. Content and design must remain up‐to‐date, and the audience base should continue to grow with added effort in spreading awareness about the site’s presence online.
5 effective free tools to promote your business and self using Web 2.0 October 7, 2009
By Shelley Russell 1. Blogging Blogging is a great way to express your identity, goals and ideas online. With enough effort to consistently tag and categorize posts, as well as promote your blog on external Web sites, it is possible to gain a faithful following and expand your site’s audience. From my reading and class discussions, the most important thing about starting your own blog is to: a) Write to be scanned, and b) Write with the attitude that people are reading your blog posts and are interested in what you are writing about. Easytouse blogging sites: ‐WordPress ‐Blogger ‐Tumblr 2. Facebook fan pages More than 10 million Facebook users become fans of fan pages each day. This is quite a large following. Campaigns like TGIFriday’s Woody Burger promotion became instantly successful via fan pages due to the spreadability of information in that medium. A particularly useful aspect of Fan pages is that users can invite friends to become a fan of that page. Bands, individual artists and businesses are taking advantage of these pages to interact with consumers.
Key concepts about fan pages include: ‐Creating a page with the intention to interact. ‐Making an effort to read user comments and respond—either generally or to specific comments. ‐Encouraging fans of the page to participate on the Wall and write messages. 3. Twitter Aside from creating a basic Twitter account and working to achieve a large amount of followers, I recently came across an interesting advertising tool. While working on a class project involving the Water.org Web page, there was an option for me to donate my Twitter status. Essentially, this status donation means that by subscribing, I am allowing water.org to re‐Tweet select messages on my Twitter page. This is an effective marketing tool because many of my followers on Twitter may not be aware of Water.org or their current efforts to conquer the water crisis. This re‐Tweeting tool is very effective for non‐profits. 4. MySpace MySpace is a very effective tool for musicians. A simple profile set‐up allows artists or bands to list information about upcoming concerts, allow users to listen or download songs from a built‐in player on the site and inform viewers about new events. Users can interact with artists or bands by posting comments on the profile page. As the creator of that Web page, it is important to frequently offer updates or respond to occasional comments. Users need to feel like their voice is being recognized. By participating more in the discussion aspect of your site, you will likely gain a more loyal fan base that appreciates your effort to communicate with them. 5. YouTube Some of the most low‐budget, small‐scale videos have become viral on YouTube. Take this video for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFpbXJuQYnE. A driver takes their car through the wrong entrance of a gate. “Driver Fail,” posted on failblog.org October 6, has already achieved 116,392 views on YouTube. By creating a YouTube count to post interesting, funny or compelling information
online, there is a chance that people will choose to subscribe to your channel. Gaining subscribers will likely increase if you promote these videos on blogs. The nice thing about YouTube is that videos can easily be embedded and shared on popular social networking sites like Facebook. It is also a simple process to embed a YouTube video on a blog such as WordPress. Most of the above tools work together and there are elements of crossover that allow an individual or business to easily use and incorporate most of these tools in their strategy for online promotion.
Viral video qualities October 12, 2009 By Shelley Russell
Class discussion today was centered on viral video. Some of my personal favorites include the following: Baby attacked by cat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjgrCzf0oZM Vodafone: The Mayfly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvC_KHU4AqE OK‐go on treadmills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA Reporter fail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVR1JunnuGE Sound of Music (Central Station in Belgium): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k&feature=related Today in class, group discussion led us to develop a list of qualities essential in any viral video. This is what we came up with: 1. Humor 2. Shock value 3. Inherent talent 4. Candid moments caught on tape 5. Extreme natural occurrences 6. Remixes and mash‐ups
7. Good pacing In addition to certain qualities that should be present in some capacity in viral videos, content is also essential. My group identified five categories that can add to the spreadability of videos online: 1. Children 2. Groups of people (Thriller prison dance video, Improv Everywhere team, Hey Jude in Trafalgar Square…etc) 3. Original music 4. Animals 5. Celebrities (Although celebrities are by no means essential in viral videos) Another aspect that adds to the success of viral videos is the ability for users to relate to the content or the subjects in the content. Anyone can easily create and post videos on YouTube. In thinking about some of the most popular videos on the Web, most of them have nothing to do with famous figures, but instead capture funny or interesting moments about average human beings.
Vodpod: Embed the seemingly unembedable! October 15, 2009 By Shelley Russell
Upon completing my rough prototype for my Memoryall assignment, I was quite excited and wanted to post it on my Wordpress. Unfortunately, the embed code wasn’t working and I wasn’t sure why. Then I found the problem. I had created my project in Vuvox, and while Vuvox videos can be easily embedded in most Web sites, Wordpress is not compatible for some reason. Luckily, I found Vodpod, a useful tool that allowed me to easily embed my project on my Wordpress account. By visiting http://vodpod.com/wordpress, I simply dragged the “Post to Wordpress” button to my toolbar, and was easily able to capture the video I wanted from Vuvox, paste in the link and password to my blog, and it instantly appeared as a post.
After my quick success with the free tool, I went to Vodpod’s site to learn more. By signing up for a free account, users get access to a “Share Video” button that they can place on their toolbar. Members of the Vodpod community can easily create lists of their favorite videos and share them by clicking the button on their toolbar. In addition, Vodpod can grab and embed videos into the following Web sites: Wordpress Blogger Twitter Facebook Tumblr Typepad MySpace There are some limitations. For example, while Vodpod did embed my Vuvox video, Wordpress does not support the full‐screen option for my collage. I ended up creating a new account with Blogger for this reason. Also, there are some sites that do not allow Vodpod to grab videos. Additional Vodpod resources include: Vodpod on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vodpod Vodpod blog: http://blog.vodpod.com/ Vodpod geek blog: http://geekblog.vodpod.com/
How being a social media expert can earn you a new car October 21, 2009 By Shelley Russell
Ford Motors is launching a new campaign to sell cars with the help of individuals who have established a social media presence online. Ford’s Fiesta Movement launched earlier this year. The company chose 100 agents to perform missions over a six‐month period while blogging about the Ford Fiesta and driving the car around while performing the missions. One of these agents was one of iMedia’s own, David Parsons. Parsons has been blogging about his experiences with the Fiesta, and more information about his experiences can be accessed via his blog: http://giveusafiesta.tumbler.com. More information is also available here: http://fiestamovement.com/agents/view/88.
While chances for applying for this campaign have long passed, Ford Motors has announced their new Fusion 41 campaign. The company is looking for eight owners of Ford Fusion or Ford Hybrid owners to participate in a relay race. Each of the chosen owners will put together a team of four friends and pass off the car for a duration of three weeks. Each team will receive a 2010 Ford Fusion, accompanied by free gas. Social media presence and experience of team members is key, because the competition requires that members document their experience with the Ford Fusion online via blogging, videos, and other social media devices such as Facebook or Twitter. The winner of the competition will get to keep their 2010 Ford Fusion and the vehicle will be paid in full by Ford Motors. The four friends on the winning team will receive gas for a year. Many of us in the iMedia program have been wondering how blogging can be beneficial to our lives. We are either confused about why we or blogging, or searching for meaning behind the words we are writing. This could serve as an answer for any lost iMedia bloggers about there. Even losing teams have something to gain because they will have experienced the power of social media at its best— incorporating video and text into multimedia presentations, allowing interested Web surfers to follow them on the Ford Fusion relay. Interested participants have until November 6th to apply. Competition rules can be found here: http://fordvehicles.emipowered.net/fusion41/register/?
Twitter–A classroom requirement October 23, 2009 By Shelley Russell
In the iMedia program at Elon, we work to establish our online identities through the use of social media platforms such as blogging and micro‐media outlets, but imagine having an entire class dedicated to one social media site. Griffith University in Australia is doing just that. Recognizing the growing importance for communications professionals to have a well‐established online presence, the university recently updated their communications curriculum to include a class with a focus on Twitter. Journalism students will now work to develop a focus to their Tweets that they may be able to use in the future as they grow as a professional online following graduation. So–no more “Just went to the gym” or “So tired today, sandwich for
lunch now” Tweets. In just 140, how can one structure a statement of value– attracting viewers and hopefully holding their attention? Griffith University journalism students will soon have the answers. As reported in an article in Mashable.com, many students at the university were unaware of Twitter, or didn’t understand the purpose of the site. The school is pushing ahead with the course despite mixed feelings. While it would be a challenge to focus a semester on the logistics of writing for Twitter, the class will likely remain valuable to the journalism students at Griffith– whether or not they end up using Twitter in the future. More than learning how to get one’s message across in 140 characters (including any hyper‐links), students are learning about clean, concise writing–writing that could ultimately earn them more readers and help them gain popularity on the Web. While many newspapers and radio stations are moving content online, the audience there is different. Web surfers are faced with an endless supply of information. Upon searching for keywords or a specific news story, users expect to be able to quickly view content with minimal scrolling over a small time period. This cannot be achieved with wordiness. While a class on Twitter may seem like a challenge to some, or pointless to others, the real key is condensing language for the Web; creating content that is scannable and accessible to most users. Also, with Twitter gaining popularity, journalism and communications professionals will need to learn to use these tools and stay up‐to‐date with the latest developments. Even today, it is almost imperative that one establish themselves via a blog, Twitter, or even both. More information on Griffith University’s new course can be found here.
Social media tools: Great marketing potential, but are companies taking full advantage? October 30, 2009 By Shelley Russell A recent article in “PR Week” magazine outlined the importance of social networking use among companies, in terms of various uses of social media tools, and the influence that customer feedback has on business strategies and products. The report was centered on the magazine’s 2009 Social Media Survey. According to the article written by Kimberly Maul, most companies turn to social
networking as their social media marketing tool of choice. One of the most striking statistics from the article is that 37 percent of companies do not use social media tools as a way to market to consumers. This is a significant portion of businesses. While some non‐participating companies may have made the choice after studying customers’ social technographics profiles, this still leaves many companies out of the social media sphere for other reasons. It is interesting to think about the reasons why companies choose to stay out of the social media sphere. Statistics from the study report that 53 percent of corporations say that a “lack of international resources and time” is their biggest barrier to becoming involved with social media. 43 percent chose lack of knowledge and expertise. Smaller companies may not be able to devote the time to Tweet 200 times a day like General Motors did in June, but posting several Tweets a day and one blog post several times a week is more effective than no social media presence at all. Upon searching my name in Google search at the beginning of the iMedia program; my name did not appear until the fifth or sixth page. Now after using Twitter and blogging frequently, valid links to my name appear on the first search results page. Building an online presence is crucial—especially for businesses with customers that spend a lot of time online. Maul reported that 59 percent of companies said that no specific funding was set aside for social media interactions. While many companies may be aware of social media tools, they are not taking advantage of those tools. There are some businesses that may be reluctant to spend money due to the difficulty in proving any Return on Investment (ROI). While ROI may not be easy to measure, any amount of customer response through social media is a sign that company efforts are not going unnoticed. Ford’s digital and multimedia communications manager Scott Monty has the right idea: “Our social media strategy is pretty simple. It is essentially to humanize the company by connecting our constituents with our employees and with each other when possible, to provide value along the way.” Companies must relinquish some control when moving to social media platforms, understanding that while all feedback on the sites may not be positive, there is ultimately value in engaging in this form of two‐way communication with customers. Read the full article here.
How to stand out amidst the information overload: Pros and cons of various communication methods November 2, 2009 By Shelley Russell
In the future, we will likely see a large movement in mobile technology as a source of communication for businesses looking to market products, or newspapers reaching out to readers with mobile devices for story updates and breaking news. Currently there is a knowledge gap for members of older generations who do not use cell phones, but soon almost everyone will have a mobile device. The United States is behind in terms of cell phone technology. Japan cell phone companies have excelled in research and producing more durable, capable mobile phones. Mobile devices will likely be a large component of Web 4.0. More Web sites are becoming cell‐phone compatible, and most phones allow users Internet access. Marketers will be able to reach consumers almost instantaneously via e‐mail news letters, text messaging alerts or social media avenues. But there are pros and cons associated with each. Depending on one’s audience and communications strategy, some tools may be more appropriate than others. The pros and cons are listed below, followed by an overarching pros and cons list for the mobile Web in general. Email news letters: pros— ‐usually there is an opt‐in and opt‐out ‐allows for target audience (people generally choose which newsletters to subscribe to) ‐you can attach e‐mails to analytics programs and monitor audience behavior. ‐you can hire e‐mail clients and companies to manage your mailing list (they will update it depending on who subscribes/un‐subscribes) ‐you can rent lists of similar target audiences and send out an e‐mails to expand your contact list cons— ‐some people have trouble viewing the graphics depending on e‐mail clients ‐some heavy graphic images will not translate as well on mobile phones ‐knowledge gap of users ‐a lot of users subscribe and may just delete the e‐mail in their inbox ‐managing an e‐mail list takes work and time to keep the language and content current and user‐appropriate ‐security issues: you must protect the personal data of users.
text/SMS alerts: pros— ‐feels more personal to the consumer ‐some SMS alerts allow you to reply and offer feedback ‐reaches consumer immediately ‐opt‐in/opt‐out options ‐you can have data about consumers’ locations, allowing you to market to a geographic‐specific consumer base cons— ‐limited characters for each message ‐intrusive ‐limited in timeframe of sending messages ‐opt‐outs can be more difficult with text messaging—normally you can opt‐out by replying to the text with “STOP,” but there is a knowledge gap and not everyone is aware of this option. social media: pros— ‐humanizes larger companies especially ‐social networking sites (SNS) have their own culture—this can be helpful for targeting audiences and relating to consumers on a more personal level ‐Groundswell—you can lurk and get value from social networks and easily get feedback from customers ‐content posted in the right way on SNS is very spreadable cons— ‐learning curve ‐more research and time may be needed to understand the language and online culture of social networking members ‐perceived barrier to entry—not all generations can understand the uses of social media or relate to the concept ‐certain SNS are not mobile‐device friendly Mobile Web: pros— ‐always with you, and you are always connected ‐content producers are forced to create a cleaner design interface—less clutter and more direct information ‐if you can’t afford a computer, you can probably afford a mobile phone and get Internet access ‐for the consumer, there is not as much advertising on mobile Web sites ‐for the advertiser, limited ad space is a plus because they are not competing with other ads or companies
‐GPS function in the phones enable for an easier search about businesses, restaurants or shops in the area. cons— ‐some sites aren’t accessible via the mobile Web ‐limited audience—not all phones can access the Web and not all customers enable it ‐browser platform—it is unsure which browser is going to come out on top ‐searching the Web on mobile phones can be tedious with phones that don’t have a full keyboard ‐some mobile plans can be expensive to add Internet ‐current battery life runs out quickly if you use the mobile Web like you use the Web on your computer.
Web redesign success stories: Yahoo and MSN November 4, 2009 By Shelley Russell
Two major Web companies have recently completed Web site redesigns. While the designs themselves are different, both have similar themes: 1. Simplicity 2. Personalization 3. Integration and links to social media tools Yahoo! Yahoo launched its homepage re‐design in July 2009. The site, which remains one of the most visited sites with a third‐place ranking on Alexa.com, receives millions of page views each day. While Yahoo’s old interface used to be cluttered and jumbled with text‐heavy sections and minimal use of images or graphics, the site’s new design is very purposeful and effective. The redesign maintains the same layout and overall look and feel, but the placement of elements and their presentation is more effective for users. The top four stories on Yahoo are now shown in the form of an interactive menu—users can select images and see a photo preview. In addition, a sliding bar was added at the bottom of the graphic so that previous top stories can be easily accessed from that section of the site.
Instead of using the left panel of the Web site to link exclusively to other Yahoo pages, the sidebar now includes buttons for media tools, such as Facebook and Flickr. The site has also worked to integrate personalization into the interface. The “My Favorites” section gives users the option of choosing their favorite applications and saving them in one location—making the interface more useful to them. According to a recent article from Adotas.com, Yahoo’s redesign efforts have been a success. Time spent on the homepage has increased 20 percent. The article also reported that there was a 76 percent increase in click‐through rates of stories placed in the “Today” section of the site. Customization has also drawn in more users. The addition of more choice and control helped to draw a wider and more loyal audience base. More specifics about the redesign can be found here. MSN.com The new homepage design plans for MSN.com were launched today. The old page was much more cluttered and text heavy than the new, simplistic design. The site is still in its preview stage, but presents a much easier navigation and interface. The new design promotes the use of video and customization features. Users can specify settings for their home page, as well as stream feeds from social media tools such as Windows Live, Facebook and Twitter. Yahoo’s homepage does not yet offer a Twitter application. According to Alexa.com, MSN.com remains one of the most popular Web sites, ranking in eighth place. The site’s integration with Bing, and its cleaner design will make it more competitive with top sites such as Google and Yahoo. Read more about the redesign here.
Space tourism: A useful venture or a waste of money? November 9, 2009 By Shelley Russell
In two years time, $4 million could earn you a trip to outer space. In 2012, Galactic Suite is set to begin accommodating guests at the first hotel in space. According to the article on Yahoo, guests will spend eight weeks training for the trip on an island in the Caribbean. Following the training, the trip to space will take a day and a half. Guests will spend three days in the resort—wearing Velcro suits in order to stick to
the walls. The Barcelona‐based company will launch guests into space via Russian rockets. I found this topic quite suitable for my final face‐to‐face topic because it expressed what we have been talking about and researching throughout the semester: The future. This future is very real, and in many ways we are already living it. Five years ago, a hotel in space would seem impossible. It still seems implausible now. It is unimaginable to think that space tourism could become a booming industry. When I read about the upcoming space resort I was excited about the opportunities available, such as the fact that guests could orbit earth in 80 minutes, seeing 15 sunsets each day, or that this resort could make space travel more accessible to the general public (well, the general public who has $4 million dollars to spare). And that brings me to my concerns. The cost is obviously a big one. If space tourism does catch on, the cost will likely decrease significantly, but at the moment there are very few people who can afford the expensive vacation. But affording it is one thing. Who has the time to take eight weeks off of work to complete a space‐training program? Billionaires, apparently. Aside from cost, I also have concerns about safety. These issues are not addressed on the Web site. If disastrous accidents can occur for professional astronauts, then surely they can happen with a rocket full of civilians. I am curious as to how the rocket will attach to the resort, as well as how expensive it would be to maintain the structure in space. As reported on Yahoo, 43 guests have made reservations so far, and Galactic Suite is currently accepting reservations from their Web site. While I think that success with this project is beneficial to those interested in space and space training, the cost and safety concerns make me wonder if some things should just be left to the professionals.
IGF Egypt: Panel on the mobile Web November 15, 2009 By Shelley Russell I am currently sitting in the conference center, finishing up a 13‐hour work day at the Internet Governance Forum in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. One of the most interesting sessions that I attended today had to do with the mobile Web. I was able to briefly speak with keynote speaker Tim Berners‐Lee following the session. Some of the main points from panelists included the need for Web content to be tailored to smaller devices, as well as the pressing issue of expanding content on the Web to come from non‐Western countries. In order for under‐developed and
developing countries to be able to access the Web, it is essential for content on the Web to appeal to them. With billions of documents available online, very little content is appropriate or understandable to individuals in Africa, Southeast Asia or Latin America. I was able to live tweet during some of the sessions. The Twitter feed for Imagining the Internet can be accessed here. The following are some memorable quotes from the session: Tim BernersLee: “In Ghana, the government was less worried about connectivity and more concerned with their being enough content. There is no realization that they could actually create it online, or tat they could go to a street map and enter information. There is a culture shock that this is not America’s Internet.” “We have always found in the past that the open world beats the closed world. When America Online tried to put themselves online without acknowledging the Web, it didn’t work. Everybody else is always going to be bigger. The open platform is very important and we should push for it.” Nii Quaynor: “Networks in Africa are fragile, and coverage is not total in several African countries. The user‐interface may become a principal access instrument for people in Africa. There has been a focus on developing applications for UI’s.” Yoshiko Kurisaki: “Technology alone does not change a society. But if it is used appropriately by the people, it has the potential to change the society for the better. The focus should be on the people who are at the far end of the digital divide.” Leslie Martinkovics: “Broadband infrastructure is an absolutely vital component. Broadband investments create jobs, stimulates demand for richer content and fuels the growth of a dynamic global Internet.”