Traveling Geeks

Are You There? Skype is My Traveling Geeks Lifeline #TG2009

Every night I can’t wait to get back to my room and Skype my husband. Seeing his beautiful face is the perfect end to my days as a Traveling Geek here in London.

This morning we were treated to a lovely lunch at Malmaison and I was lucky enough to score a seat next to Neil Dodd, Windows Experience Manager at Skype London. Neil just completed Skype 4.1 Gold for Windows and it has some valuable new features that you will want to know about.

Download Skype 4.1 for Windows

Though Skype 4.1 is only  for Windows today,  the Mac 2.8 Beta out now will go “Gold” in a few weeks.

I’ve been using GoTo Meeting nearly every day lately, and I’m going to try out one of the newest features of Skype which is screen sharing.

Screen sharing includes swapping between people, so no matter who originates the call, you can trade screen sharing back and forth. Screen sharing is compatible with anyone’s past version of Skype – anyone can see your screen. For them to share back, however, they will need to  upgrade, so check that first before you start your call.

This week I saw a demo of Huddle (which I will write more about soon), which is a new collaboration tool and it has conference calling built in, which is now an important requirement of collaboration tools. The face that Skype has screen sharing will make it all that more invaluable as a part of our everyday applications.
According to Neil Dodd, this release is just the start of collaboration tools from Skype. Probably if I were as good a reporter as Sarah Lacy, here on the trip with me as a fellow Geek, I’d have gotten more of a scoop for you.

Another incredibly helpful feature is called Skype Access. It’s a tool built into the Skype client that allows you to connect to compatible WiFi hotspots and pay for that access with your Skype credit by the minute. Instead of purchasing a whole day pass, you can make micropayments for quick stop overs in airports and Starbucks. Skype Access is Mac-only for now. That’s  a nice change!

Next time you travel, try managing the WiFi access point from your Skype client instead of from your browser. Boingo compatible WiFi hotspots are currently supported which is actually the bulk of WiFi according to Neil. Many hotspots might be branded something else, but are actually Boingo. So give it a try.

And, for a connector like me, my favorite new feature of Skype is a new extended contact import feature so you can find your friends and contacts on Skype. Before you pick up the phone or email, you can have a more novel experience by Skyping your friend. Now with the new Contact Uploader, you supply your credentials to a raft of contact systems and they will be matched against the Skype user directory and sent an authorization request. You can control to whom you send requests and edit the email that gets sent.

Using Skype video is such a more fun connection occaison than an email that I’m going to give the uploader a shot at matching some folks from my database as soon as I get home.

Hope you enjoyed the update from Skype.

Signing off until tomorrow. Tim is online and I’m going Skype him right now!

Seed Funding for Entrepreneurs Along with Training and Support

SeedCamp UK Application Process Is Now Open

Earlier this week the Traveling Geeks had an amazing Speed Dating event with Seedcamp and NESTA. Seedcamp is an early stage fund that combines their investing with entrepreneurial and business model training. The quality of the entrepreneurs and their business concepts were impressive, polished and beautifully articulated. Seedcamp grooms entrepreneurs to a level I’ve not previously experienced. And I highly encourage women to apply for their next Seedcamp program as most are still men.

“The 20 teams do compete for seed funding, but most importantly, garner world-class connections in the European entrepreneurial ecosystem. At the end of the week Seedcamp will invest up to €50K each in 5 teams for a small equity stake (5%-10%).”

Applications are now open for the next Seedcamp Week 2009 program happening this September.
SeedCamp’s Blog post with more details is here.  http://blog.seedcamp.com/

Contact:

Stephanie Zari
+44 (0)7920 062621
zari at seedcamp.com
www.seedcamp.com

Backstage Pass- London taxis

Twelve traveling geeks and one cameraperson. Going hither and yon. How do we get around? Well, it’s a combination of cab and walking. London is remarkably compact and I was surprised at how easy it was to get from one spot to another – which on the map looked like it would take an hour, ended up taking 15 minutes. (Last time I was in London was a long time ago, and I walked and took the tube, but I had forgotten how close things were.) So we pack 5 geeks into the first cab, 5 into the next, and then a third, until we are off to the next engagement. Here’s the first cab out of the hotel on Monday morning, with Robert Scoble presiding.

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Traveling Geeks – On the road in the UK

note: this is a repost from TechCrunch Europe

This morning we had a breakfast with Tristan Wilkinson, Intel’s Director of Public Sector and other Intel execs. We had an interesting discussion about the use of technology in the Western world, in developing countries, in the classroom. For example, we talked about how parents and teachers need to be more open to allowing kids to use technology, the internet, their mobile devices and not focus as much on the negative aspects of technology but rather on all the positive aspects. There is a huge problem with parents’ attitudes toward their kids’ involvement with technology and a huge divide in regards to educating parents:

We also had a little debate about whether Twitter is already a mainstream phenomenon or not:

Lastly, we discussed the importance of bringing technology to developing countries and what a difference even one cell phone in a village can make. However, Robert Scoble, also reiterated the idea which he calls the “Friend Divide” – this is to say that even if you have a computer and are able to get online, you’re still at a major disadvantage to people who have already built a rich network of friends which they can use to get and spread information.

Econsultancy London Round Tables

Econsultancy has set up an event for the Traveling Geeks where we’ll have round tables discussing technology as it relates to community, customer service and innovation with a focus on social media tools.

This is a way we can “power network” with a LOT of UK companies that are clients of Econsultancy’s and are of interest to us.

We are meeting at the Swan at the Globe – the restaurant at the Globe Theatre originally build in Shakespeare’s time.

The Companies:

Photobox, Warner Music, eOffice, lastminute.com, Channel4, Intruders tv, MakeYourMark.org, Mandate, Macmillan Cancer Support, Equalities Human Rights Commission, London 2012, Progenit, Poke, Random House and Summit Media

The Geeks:

* Robert Scoble @scobleizer
* Craig Newmark @craignewmark
* Sarah Lacy @sarahcuda
* Howard Rheingold @hrheingold
* Meghan Asha @meghanasha
* JD Lasica @jdlasica
* Tom Foremski @tomforemski
* Sarah Austin @pop17
* Susan Bratton @susanbratton
* Jeff Saperstein http://sapermktg.wordpress.com
* Renee Blodgett @weblogtheworld, @magicsourcemedia
* Jim Schuyler @jimsky7

Find out more about each of them and their interests at https://tg.planetlink.com/geeks/.

Econsultancy guests:

* Community Product Manager, BSkyB
* Manager, ba.com and Mobile Innovation, BA
* Global Digital Marketing Director, Warner Music
* Commercial Director, Photobox
* Head of Marketing for Future Media & Technology
* Founder & CEO, eOffice
* Head of Digital, OMD
* Co-founder, Poke London
* International COO, MySpace
* Head of Innovation, lastminute.com
* Head of New Media Marketing and Communications, Channel 4
* Head of Content and Co-Founder, Intruders tv
* Platform Evangelist, Adobe
* Jim Sterne, CEO, Emetrics
* Digital Guru, MakeYourMark.org
* Head of Social Media, iCrossing
* Associate Director, Mandate
* Director, Nixon McInnes
* Freelance Social Software Consultant
* Head of Digital Marketing, Macmillan Cancer Support
* Head of Digital, Equalities Human Rights Commission
* Head of New Media, London 2012
* Head of Social Media & Stakeholder Engagement, UK Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills
* Head of Audience Development, Telegraph Media Group
* Editor-in-Chief, Internet Retailing
* CEO, Make It Rain
* Junior Account Executive, Make It Rain
* Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University
* Content Editor, e-skills UK
* Project Officer – Skills, Northwest Vision and Media
* Head of Ecommerce, Random House
* Digital Media Communications, EMEA, Dell
* Marketing and Ecommerce Consultant, Progenit
* Managing Director, Summit Media
* Online Help Manager, Carphone Warehouse

Rebecca Lieb, VP North Amercia was a recent guest on DishyMix where we talked about Econsultancy and her new book,“The Truth About Search Engine Optimization.”

Click here to listen now or subscribe in iTunes.

Rebecca Lieb on The Truth About SEO, Journo Interview Techniques and Oceans & Otters

Traveling Geeks: A Guardian Newspaper Media Panel, Twitter, From Back to Front And Beyond…

Tuesday evening our third event that day for the Traveling Geeks (but not the last) was to take part in a media debate at The Guardian newspaper’s offices in north London.

The Guardian is one of the UK’s largest newspapers and its media section is superb — anyone that is anyone in the media industry reads it, and anyone that’s interested in media — reads The Guardian’s media section.

It was a very good turnout for the event despite horrid downpours. Part of our TG gang (Robert Scoble, Sarah Lacy, and JD Lasica) were on the panel discussing the future of media with the Guardian’s Emily Bell, and the BBC’s technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones.

It was a good discussion but it felt very “2005” in terms of the subjects, which kept returning to blogger/social media versus mainstream media.

The Butcher of Fleet Street

I was sitting at the back of the room next to fellow TGer Craig Newmark of Craigslist. And inevitably, the panel’s moderator couldn’t resist asking him to stand up and explain himself for killing the newspaper industry.

Craig is mightily fed up with this question. And I agree. It is not his fault that the newspaper industry is in trouble. But Craig handled it all very well, throwing in a line “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition,” which drew laughs and distracted the panel from further pursuit of a tired line of questioning and drew the discussion back to the favorite subject of the day: Twitter.

From Back To Front

It was fun publishing from the back of the room and having our Tweets projected onto a big screen in the front of the room.

Here is the evening’s Twitstream.

And here are my contributions:

Seedcamp pointer

I’m going to just quickly mention that on Tuesday we met with some Seedcamp companies, at the  offices in central London. Craig Newmark has put up a nice quick summary with links in case you want to check them out. Craig is a fellow Traveling Geek. I will pick my favorites later, although I liked all of them, and will let you know what each technology is going to be useful for in my professional life. You will find them all fascinating and probably will end up using one or more of them some time in the near future.

I know already that my first favorites will be technologies that help find and then aggregate information that will make your blog or web site more informative for your readers. Or that make your job as a blogger easier because they help you locate not only your own writings (which believe it or not is a problem for many bloggers) but new information from sources that you trust.

Colalife: using Coca-Cola distribution network for social good

Well, Colalife.org, something casually observed at NESTA, as part of the Traveling Geeks tour in the UK, is a bigger deal than I expected.

BT Openzone Wireless Broadband

I wrote about the open wi-fi network in central London – back when I was just “hoping” that it would give us coverage while in London. Indeed it looks the network is around and that there are many wireless hotspots. I don’t know yet how pervasive the outdoor coverage is, but coverage at shops (coffee shops for example) seems pretty much available.

But the service that’s saving my life here is BT Mobile Broadband, which is available for £15/month (special promotion) on a “commercial” plan. (See photo of their [new] USB plug-in device above)

Advertised as providing “up to 7.2Mb (actually I would say 7.2mbps – or megabits per second) I was getting 2.5mbps on Sunday afternoon, and through the week have been getting upwards of 640kbps almost all of the time, which isn’t as good, but is roughly equivalent to a DSL line in the US. It’s also not quite as good as wi-fi, but if you’re at a public-access wi-fi spot, you’re unlikely to get anything better than the 640kpbs speed anyway.

On Monday at Reboot Britain [see Howard Rheingold’s article on the conference, where he spoke] we were inside a steel and brick building, in an inner room, and the local wi-fi was so overloaded it couldn’t maintain a connection for longer than a few minutes [this is common for large conferences of geeks], and I stayed on the BT Mobile service the entire day and it was rock solid, though at the lower data rate. That’s why I say it “saved by life.”

If you’re in Britain, need data on the road, and can’t tether your computer through a phone, this service seems like it would be indispensable. [I don’t know whether non-British national can purchase it short term…but if so, it would be great.]

The Guardian Dialogues