Communications 2.0 Conference Today

Currently, I am on my way back to DC via train. The plane in NYC - accident or not - spooked me.

I led a great panel discussion at Communications 2.0: the Future of PR summit held today at the Microsoft Conference Center in NYC. (It was great because of my panelists)

Authentic Media - What is User Generated Content, Blogs, and Web Video's Impact on Corporate Communications? 

Our charge: keep it real – real cases, real experiences and real discussion. Here's who was on the panel:

Todd Defren, Principal, SHIFT Communications

Chas Edwards, VP Sales & Market Development, Federated Media

Michelle Horowitz, VP, PR Newswire

Ron Rasmussen, CTO, KnowNow

Steve Rubel, SVP, Edelman

We started on a bit of a skirmish over language: What do these terms - Authenticity, Engagement and Conversation - make you think of. As we continue to develop this "field" it is only natural that we will try to find the right language. Some felt these were overused buzzwords, others described their definitions. Since I was moderating, I couldn't take great notes (like none). I know I had a good time. I hope those in the sold out audience felt it valuable.

Andrew Baron from Rocketboom spoke. We met him earlier this year at Vloggercon. He came across "genuine" to me (someone on our panel used that word to try to clarify what "authentic" means - I think Michelle from PRNewswire said that). His preso was pleasantly, well, clumsy. He shared about the simplicity of Rocketboom and how it followed from his own personal interests.