The SES convention started off with a keynote by Clay Shirky who reminded me a lot of Fromone Pidontknow.  No doubt he gets that a lot.  He talked about how communication habits are changing due to the technology available.  The speech was interesting because

1. He seemed to be very passionate about his subject matter
2. He was well prepared and seemed to know the message without cues
3. I was drinking a caramel macchiato
4. I am interested in the subject

You can listen to it online.  The material is covered in his book, here comes everybody.   The two bits of his talk that I found most interesting were

1. The web facilitates Lynch Blogs and other forms of organization without organizations
2. The way we communicate has changed – but the motivation to do so has always been there

He pointed out two funny stories.  The first involved the HSBC deciding to cheat its student customers.  The bank assumed students would accept the new “value added” fees without resistance.  Instead a Lynch Blog organized the students in protest.  Finally the bank declared it a big misunderstanding – HSBC was concerned with customer service, not money.

Another funny example: Alisara Chirapongse blogged about the 06 Thai military coup as she experienced it.  She became a popular information provider overnight.   The next week writing about a pink Hello Kitty phone got people upset.  Where is the info that matters to them?  The coup!  The funny thing was that she didn’t think of her site as political news outlet.  Her blog is about her life and interests, not those of her audience.

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