Point Oh!

So I’m off to SXSW today so I thought it may make sense to talk a little about what I’m going to be talking about (actually, I hope my panel does the majority of the talking).

The title of my session on Tuesday is “Digital Tsunami: Breaking News at Breckneck Speeds” and you can find more information about it here if you want to attend (there’s even a Sched* for it).  You can even follow along/heckle me and the panel using #bneck on Twitter.

In a nutshell, my panel is about how the rise of social media and the increase in the overall speed of the newscycle affects brands, the media and us as a culture.  Is it an opportunity or a liability for brands to communicate with their stakeholders?  Has it improved or eroded journalism?  Is our culture better positioned to use it as a utility or does it only serve to drives us further apart from each other?

Luckily, I have a great panel to help me tackle the issue from a few different angles.  First off, I have Scott Monty from Ford to talk about the implications for a multi-billion dollar brand.  Next, I have Andy Carvin from NPR to discuss how the media is adapting.  Last but not least, Alex de Carvalho from StartPR to talk about some of the larger cultural and humanitarian issues at play.

So that’s the basic gist.  I will post some observations from the many other sessions I will be attending and then do a follow-up on the panel when it’s done.  See you all in Austin!