6 Things I Learned at W3C20

The internet turned 25-years-old on October 29^th 2014 and to celebrate it’s anniversary the founder of the internet, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, hosted a symposium about the Future of the Web. I attended the event as a SAHM trying to get ideas for my blog. Despite being an outsider in a male-dominated technical crowd, I felt welcomed and left inspired. I couldn’t sleep because I kept re-living the presentations.

Here’s what I took away from W3C20.

1. David-Michel Davies is President of Webby Media Group, which gives out the Webby Awards a.k.a. the Oscars of the internet. He gave a visually compelling presentation of his favorite sites describing the history of the web as the history of rule-breakers. In other words, he helped me realize that the most-followed blogs aren’t exactly generic.

2. Collaboration fuels digital success. This observation didn’t come from one specific presentation but the repeated idea that you can’t take on the web alone. Your visuals need to be excellent and people don’t want to listen to a movement. We become part of one.

3. People will give away their most intimate details if they trust the site and can remain anonymous. Di-Ann Eisnor from traffic app, Waze, gave a fascinating presentation that emphasized the internet can be used to make the world a better place. She mentioned that in various studies people would volunteer to divulge their most intimate secrets, such as the location of their child in real-time, if they would remain anonymous and the data would be used for a greater good.

4. Anders Wahlquist is the CEO and co-founder of production company B-Reel. Anders proved that when you pair an edgy narrative with a technologically-stunning delivery people will dig it. Part of collaborating online is being open to the latest advancements in video and telling an authentic story in a way that challenges convention. He helped me realize how desperately I need better videos on my sites.

5. Jessica Rosenworcel was nominated for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama. Commissioner Rosenworcel told us the web is a global town square. It can be a positive force behind change but first it needs to be accessible to everyone including folks with disabilities.

5. 3-D cameras are the future. I want one!!

6. “The internet platform doesn’t put any constraints on what you put on top of it,” said Sir Tim Berners-Lee. He spoke last and couldn’t be less assuming or more full of life.

 

Darling Spam visits W3c20 at loveletterstospam.com

You can read my other post about the W3C20 on my main blog, “Love Letters to Spam.”