Conventional wisdom calls us attention-deprived, constantly seeking the next scrap of info. But Google reveals our true desire: Context. (Wikipedia entries, This American Life’s financial crisis explainer, Gizmodo’s definitive guide to smartphones, etc.) We’ll explore how journalism and media must adapt to meet our insatiable hunger for the bigger picture.

Documentaries are just not about ‘documenting’ an event – they interpret and synthesize many sources of information to explain a situation or express a specific point of view. So where does the user interact with this specific project? Meet interactive documentary filmmakers to hear how they approach their medium. Learn what’s…

From discovering galaxies to folding proteins: how to actively contribute to science. Science projects are harnessing open collaboration to further discovery and exploration. As a result, citizen science is witnessing a renaissance. The panel will discuss how you can get involved and challenges faced in making science open.

This panel is sponsored by Adobe.

How do professional interviewers prepare for their interviews? Which questions elicit great responses from interviewees? What are the best ways to analyze and present your interview results? No matter who you’re interviewing or what you’re discussing, lessons from these experts will make your interviews more interesting and insightful.

In a world where content is available anywhere, at any time, users will consume more content if relevant and personalized… based on location, time, entourage, tastes and mood. The panel will talk through practical examples of using data to better match relevant content to users and increase consumption.

Youth are approaching digital self-expression from a more organic, collaborative angle than previous generations. They jump right in when the creative urge strikes, collaborate with others, and publish an ongoing stream of momentary, mashed-up, disposable media. We discuss our research on youth and the future of creative products.

”Buy one, give one” isn’t a campaign for charity. It’s one facet of the massive values correction that recession-rewired consumers are making. Learn how the digital channel is driving the trend in consumer goods’ reuse and repurposing, and why brands should embrace unconsumption for both CSR and ecommerce initiatives.

We’ve all had them – TERRIBLE MANAGERS. Nit-picky, micromanaging, douche bags who have no idea what you do or how it’s done. They drive you crazy and make your life miserable. Then one day you get a promotion and all of the sudden you’re ONE OF THEM! Don’t panic, there’re lots…

Though most of society is now connected to the internet there are still groups, mainly the elderly that are overlooked. The combined age of this panel is older than United States and technology is very much at the centre of their world. These old dogs may still be able to teach…

Bridging the gap between cyberspace and reality, the ”Life Graph” will revolutionize how individuals interact with the world around them: predictive recommendations with rich local content that matters the most to you here and now. We will explore the Life Graph concept and how it will change your life.

Williams has co-founded several Internet companies, including Pyra Labs (creator of weblog-authoring software Blogger) and Twitter, the now ubiquitous social media platform that hit its tipping-point at SXSW in 2007. In addition to his role as Director of the Havas Media Lab, Umair Haque founded Bubblegeneration, an agenda-setting advisory boutique that…

Over the past twenty years, technology has morphed the computer into a TV. Now, with the emergence of Internet-connected TVs, widgets, and access to free content sites like Hulu, is the TV becoming a computer? This session will examine the key technological and business issues that are shaking up the traditional…

Self-Promoters are single-handedly saving the world. Without even trying, they’re becoming the “go-to” people when someone has a question. Twitter, Facebook, and whatever comes next is, for the first time, allowing the world to contact anyone, for anything, at any time. When other people know to go to you, and you…

Innovation, global warming, and green technology are all pushing in the same direction: zero waste. This concept is in practice in several cities (including Austin) and will soon be in yours. Learn about the current, future, and upcoming needs of this movement and how technology is playing a vital role.

Casey, founder and Executive Director of the Designers Accord, works with organizations all over the world to create positive social and environmental impact. She has been named a “Guru you should know” by Fortune magazine, a “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine, and a “Master of Design” by Fast Company….

Social media builds buzz and raises money, but what about real, on-the-ground change? The Social Change Challenge will crowdsource innovative ideas from nonprofits to change the world. We’ll share big ideas for using social media for nonprofit program delivery and some good tips for crowdsourcing for social change.

Is your Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc Avatar a picture of you from 2002? If so, come get a Profile Makeover! Get a makeover from a top beauty blogger, have your picture taken by a noted fashion photographer and finish it off by having a Social Media Expert tweak your bio. You’ll…

Will we be able to jack into the brain and upload helicopter instructions, like in The Matrix? We already have the technology to control a prosthetic arm or Twitter with thoughts alone. Dishes of neurons can control a robot. And scientists have created a working artificial memory chip in rats.

Communities of skilled people can serve as platforms for sourcing ideas, work, and solutions across industries. But how can we ensure that the new era of crowdsourcing actually empowers those that participate? There are dangerous trends in the world of crowdsourcing, and some principles are required to make this new ecosystem…

Is interactive marketing art or science? With the advent of neuromarketing, neuroscientists and researchers direct their expertise to selling, using MRIs to analyze brain activity when exposed to different stimuli. Companies like Google use mathematics to develop advertising solutions. Will digital marketers become scientists and mathematicians or will creativity triumph?

Who’s to blame for creating the digital-ceiling? Upper management? Rawk star “techies” who fill their presentations with porn? Venture Capitalists who don’t fund enough women start-ups? Ourselves? Join tech and social media gurus for a thought-provoking discussion on cracking the boys-club and getting what you want.

The emergence of the real-time web enables an unprecedented level of user engagement and dynamic content online. However, the rapidly growing audience puts new, complex demands on the architecture of the web as we know it. This panel will discuss what is needed to make the real-time web achievable.

The future of Journalism lies in your hands. Citizen journalists from coast to coast are launching websites so THEY can write about their interests. But does it work? Can you make money? Where is it going and will it be around in a few years? These questions, and more will be…

This paneli is sponsored by frog design.

In the world of user experience, learning about your customers is key to making great stuff. But design research reports are dense and boring. Unlock the power of sketching and pen and paper tools to create research outputs that are vibrant, sticky and that reflect personality, human perspective and that move…

The ability to share online has allowed consumers to control and filter the web. For brands and publishers, tapping into Influence is critical to social media’s future. What is influence and how is it measured? Leading voices in social media from multiple backgrounds will define the value of influence, discuss best…

A focus universe research strategy; imagine using the entire internet as your focus group. Analyze every conversation, visualize trends, compare brands, learn insights, envisage it over time, and get real factual answers, not just amplified assumptions based on focus and control groups. Now add IPv6 to the picture, digital invasion, UGC/MGC…