Rooms to Meet and Wishes to Tweet
It’s Wednesday and we’re talking wish lists—two kinds in particular. One is a new Internet model and the other is an additional way for people to meet at our June Conference.
The Internet Wishlist, developed by Amrit Richmond, a “community developer + creative strategist,” is a “collection of ideas for apps and websites people are wishing for. Ideas range from web to mobile, realistic to imaginary, and helpful to humorous.” So often we’re trying to guess what people want instead of just asking them. This asks them, but in a very clever way.
The second wish list involves what I’ll call Rooms at the Inn. SIPA makes it a priority to listen to its members in many ways—and take action—from the new webinars we’re producing (and the special Webinar section in the March Hotline) to the Job Board to session topics at the upcoming SIPA 2011 Conference (June 5-7 in Washington, D.C.).
One other way we’ve listened and responded involves enabling attendees to meet with each other at the annual conference—beyond the regular networking opportunities that are available. So this year, SIPA invites you to take advantage of our meeting space, when we’re not using it. Hold a staff meeting, conduct an interview, do a product demonstration in a private room with WiFi. These rooms are now available on a first-signed-up, first-confirmed basis, so act fast. See all the details on our website.
Back to the Internet Wishlist. Here are just some of the wishes already posted:
“I would pay for a service that sends a weekly digest of articles to my Kindle based on my tastes, preferences and what my friends are reading.”
“I want an app that can group similar tweets so I don’t have to read the same story from 50 different sources.”
“I want an app that can read me emails and blog posts while I drive.”
“I want an app for finding babysitters. Location- and subscription-based service of vetted and available sitters.”
“In a world of me-too startups, I hope this project inspires entrepreneurs, developers and designers to innovate and build the products and features that people want,” writes creator Richmond. She adds that “only the most forward thinking ideas will be shared on this site and on Twitter @theiwl.” (Wishes are sent in via Twitter.)
Parmy Olson, who blogs a column called Disruptors on Forbes.com, wrote a short post about IWL when it first came out at the end of February. “Some enterprising developers might be put off by the notion of mining a website for an idea, but others might see this as the way to cater to what app users actually want,” Olson wrote. “Has Richmond prepared for any intellectual property issues between her site and the people who submit ideas, and the entrepreneurs who implement them?”
Richmond answered that she uses Twitter for that reason, “so I could have a public record to link to of who wished for the idea and when they wished for it…People are sharing ideas for apps and websites that they hope to see built. The format of the submissions is usually ‘I wish there was an app for _____.’ or ‘I wish someone would make a website for _____.’ I hope that if someone does end up building one of the ideas on the website that they take their own spin on it.”
In a similar way, SIPA hopes that by facilitating meetings between Conference attendees, the resulting conversations also create their “own spin” on things. Conferences still work so well because they bring people face-to-face in a way that nothing else can. At SIPA 2011, you’ll be in the same room as marketers, publishers, state-of-the-art vendors, industry thought leaders and other hard-working colleagues who want to succeed as much as you do.
So have an extra conversation or two on us.
********************************************
But first, make sure you sign up for the:
35th Annual International Conference
SIPA 2011: Cashing in on Content –
Models for a New Decade.
June 5-7, Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C.
Register now to get the best rate!
[text_ad]
