Ben Werdmuller

For your consideration at SXSW Interactive

I’ve submitted a talk for South By Southwest 2011:

Building the User-centered Web

By establishing a general standard for social application interactions, the services and technologies used to make connections become less relevant; the Internet is people, one big social network, and users no longer have to worry about how they connect. We can all get on with communicating and collaborating in contextually appropriate ways. In this talk, I’ll discuss how to build a decentralized, user-centered web using existing and emerging technologies. I hope you’ll join me.

If you’d like to see this at the next SXSW, please visit this page to vote.

Paul Adrian also has submitted a talk, this time about the future of journalism, and how technology can help:

Technology Can Create a Press for the People

I believe it is time for a “news” revolution. A new press should produce comprehensive streams of rigorously non-partisan original reporting on the issues that are most important to our lives. Once informed, we the people should have a space where we can discuss the important issues of our times without having to submit to intolerance, deceptive campaigning and fear-mongering. Through the use of technology and new business models, news innovators can provide more credible information and space for civil discussions. The goal is to empower citizens by providing access to superior reporting and the platform for community organization necessary for the People once again to become powerful participants in democracy.

As well as being an award-winning journalist and technology entrepreneur, Paul is an inspiring speaker who is worth listening to. You can vote for his talk over here.

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Comments

One response to “For your consideration at SXSW Interactive”

  1. Kevin Jardine Avatar
    Kevin Jardine

    I’m amused that people still think that “rigorously non-partisan” reporting is possible or even a valid goal. For many media outlets this is a code phrase for “avoid reporting that upsets our advertisers”. You can see that clearly in the way that US media outlets report climate change. In this case “non-partisan” means “give equal space to the views of scientists and fossil fuel industry flacks”.

    Most of the time accurate reporting means that you actually need to choose between true and false versions of a story and that is inevitably viewed as partisan by one side or the other.

    Personally, I would like to see reporting that is accurate and that at least on occasion helps to challenge the all-too-comfortable assumptions we all tend to make. This means that journalists need to show a bit of courage in taking on the prejudices of the “powerful participants in democracy” instead of pandering to them as is the safer route.

    Ben, I’d vote for your talk, but unfortunately I won’t be able to go. I hope it is approved and is a big hit!

    Reply

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