How Gen Y and Tech are Changing History

Take a few minutes and watch this video of Jared Cohen from the US State Department. In it, he discusses how technology’s spread to different countries is important for our diplomatic and economic future. This piece fits in quite well with the Supernova themes from the last several years.

Deborah Schultz on Data in the Network Age

Deborah Schultz, partner in the Altimeter Group, discusses the value of Data in the Network Age. As someone who’s been working with top consumer packaged goods companies, Deborah has good clarity about what data is out there about customers. In this segment she looks 3-5 years out to a time when companies as well as customers can analyze customer behavior, to the benefit of both. There will be real time and stored data access to let us learn more about what we buy, how we act and how to save money or get better things for our money. Deborah also discusses innovation design, bridging the gap between cutting edge technologies... Read More

Umair Haque on the Economic Value Crisis

Umair Haque spoke on the first day of Supernova, and appeared on the “Crisis? What Crisis? Strategies for a Connected World” panel on day 2. In our talk, he summarizes his talks, giving us understanding of his theories about thick and thin value created by companies. He also discusses the way that companies can create more thick value – in other words, how they can be more productive for the company as well as society as a whole.

Doc Searls on Telecom and Project VRM

Doc Searls, Fellow at the Berkman Center at Harvard, moderated the panel on Telecom as Software at Supernova on Day 3. Doc observed that it is still very early in the current cycle of telecom innovation, and even though we are able to treat some calls as data, most are still a challenge. He asks why we can’t switch carriers and networks when there’s connectivity on one but not the other.

Doc also describes the project he’s working on at the Berkman center, project VRM, which stands for Vendor Relationship Management. He tells us a little about what VRM means, and how it affects the relationships between customers and... Read More

Harriet Pearson of IBM on Privacy in Enterprise Social Media

Harriet Pearson,Vice President, Security Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer at IBM, discussed Social Media in the Enterprise and how employees must consider both their public and corporate social media presences. There are challenges for security and corporate information as well as for brand reputation.

IBM started codifying their policies for blogging and participation in 2005. They continue to encourage employees to participate online, and have simple rules for engagement.

Recently IBM commissioned a survey with over 3000 people in 5 or 6 different countries, to see what they think about security, privacy, trust and the social web. Harriet covers some of the results in our discussion.

She also discusses the... Read More

Catharine Hays on the Future of Advertising

Catharine Hays, Project Director of Wharton’s Future of Advertising program, tells us why we should care about the Future of Advertising. The project seeks to reinvent the scope, practice and value of the word Advertising. It’s more about redefining what Advertising means, and looking at the audience, instead of being intrusive and interruption focused.

“Corporations have products we want, so why not have a good symbiotic relationship?” asks Hays. Customers have the power to destroy the advertisers who don’t fulfill their promises, and companies are starting to realize this. They are now recognizing that they must be part of conversations.

Karl Ulrich of Wharton on Innovation Tournaments

Dr. Karl Ulrich spoke to me after his Wharton Talk at Supernova on the subject of Innovation Tournaments (which is also the title of his most recent book.) He describes innovation tournaments, and how companies are already using this format to help find more ideas that can be funneled and used to drive new products and services. The key is generating as many ideas as possible at the top of the funnel. Interestingly enough, Innovation Tournaments and American Idol have common elements, leading to a discussion of Kelly Clarkson versus Sanjaya.

Kevin Werbach interviews Alec Ross, Craig Newmark and Jimmy Wales

After the final plenary session at Supernova, Supernova Group Founder & Conference Organizer Kevin Werbach interviews Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark, Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Senior Advisor for Innovation Alec Ross about the most important changes they’ve seen, and their predictions for the biggest changes to come.

Thanks to all the panelists for their insights. You can also see the full Supernova Day 3 Closing Session live stream recordings.

Supernova Interview: Phil McKinney of HP on Innovation

After yesterday’s afternoon session, we spoke with Phil McKinney who is CTO of HP’s Personal Systems group, and also runs the Killer Innovations podcast. Phil spoke about innovation, how one becomes an innovation “expert” and what it takes to get innovation into organizations.

Supernova Interview: Peter Guber of Mandalay Entertainment

“The glow in the theater used to be cigarettes – now it is the glow of cell phones, and kids texting to their friends, and their social networks from inside the movie.” This is how Peter Guber of Mandalay Entertainment described the immediacy of movie reviews and the way entertainment is commented upon, and potentially blasted by the Friday night it hits the theaters. The instant communication has changed what it means to be in the entertainment business.

One thing hasn’t changed. Even with all of our digital technology, “we don’t speak in 0′s and 1′s” Guber told me in our interview. All the digital storytelling in the world won’t... Read More