Toronto

Who knew that a $150 toy sitting in your living room could one day become an important tool in surgeries?

Image from Microsoft XBox press images

That’s the story of Microsoft’s Kinect. The Kinect is a device that captures full body 3D motion, allowing users to control their Xbox by simply moving their bodies. In the year since its launch in 2010, third parties are now using the Kinect to create innovative ways of using physical gestures to control a digital environment.

Toronto’s very own Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has developed an innovative way to use the Kinect, benefitting doctors and patients in the operating room. Surgeries have to be sterile to keep the patient safe, but computers are notoriously difficult to keep clean. Traditionally when surgeons need to access patient computer images and data while performing a procedure they have to engage in a complicated dance of changing out of their sterile gear to use the computer, and then go through the entire sterilization process again to re-enter the operating theatre.

How does the Kinect solve this problem? The scientists at Sunnybrook connected the Kinect to their computer and a screen suspended in the operating room. This allows doctors to view and control the data using gestures in the air, without having to go through the sterilization process. Kinect removes the need to touch a contaminated keyboard!

Kinect technology is also innovating the surging field of surgical robotics. Researchers are planning to use the Kinect to map out a patient’s body, and using that data to provide feedback to surgical robotics tools. This would ensure that these tools reach and access defined areas of the body without contacting or damaging other areas.

Video gesture technology has come a long way, and there’s certainly going to be a lot of innovation in its future. Watch out science fiction – your imaginings will soon become a reality! If you are interested in learning more about the history and development of video gesture control, check out this TED talk by Vincent John Vincent, co-founder of GestureTek, at TEDxWaterloo in March 2011.

Did you shop online this holiday season? If you didn’t, you might be in the minority. Online shopping is booming. ComScore released a report on online holiday spending in the United States recently, and the key findings of that report may surprise you:

• Over $24 billion USD has been spent online in the holiday season so far, an increase of 15% compared to last year
• Six days have surpassed the $1 billion online sales threshold, with Cyber Monday (November 28) leading the pack at $1.25 billion (an increase of 22% compared to last year)
• Cyber Monday 2011 saw the amount of online sales in history, followed by Monday, December 5th 2011 at $1.18 billion.
• Seven of the top 10 days in online sales happened during the 2011 holiday season

In Canada, online shopping is on the rise. Canadians spent over $15 billion shopping online in 2009, compared to $12.8 billion in 2007. Most consumers are now aware of sales opportunities that exist on Cyber Monday: PayPal Canada reports that 52% of Canadians now know about Cyber Monday (compared to 24% in 2010). Typical online purchases in Canada include travel, entertainment (tickets, books and magazines) and clothing (including jewelry and accessories).

So how does social media fit into the mix?

First of all, consumers are using social media to discover deals. In Canada, the RedFlagDeals forums were abuzz with activity as members traded their findings on deals and engaged in discussion. The RedFlagDeals website itself aggregated these holiday deals into an accessible page for quick and easy reference.

Secondly, consumers are now starting to check out companies’ social media pages for information—about 30% will view a company’s Facebook page, with 65% reading reviews on the company’s website.

Finally, companies are now investing in mobile optimized sites and apps in order to tap the mobile shopping market. According to Shop.org’s survey, over 50% of companies have invested in mobile shopping websites

What does this all mean for Canadian retailers?

Besides pricing, retailers need to have a strong online presence and support system for online shopping in order to edge out their competitors. Additionally, retailers will have to keep key dates in the U.S. in mind. As Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales grow in popularity, Canadian retailers need to stay competitive with their U.S. counterparts. Finally, it’s important that they remember that there is still plenty of opportunity to grow in online shopping. Half of Canada is still unaware of Cyber Monday, so trying to tap into that market should ostensibly be a goal.

What does this mean for online shoppers? Among other things, it means we get access to better deals!

On the subject of super cool technology that is changing the social scene, it’s hard not to notice how social media is changing the face of conferences and the conversations that surround these major events.

With a simple hashtag, any audience member can become just as influential and command as much attention as the speaker on stage with insightful, witty, on-topic posts. As the traditional model of speaking to audiences has shifted, so have the ways audiences can consume, process and interact with information. The ease with which we turn to our communities for deeper conversation has elevated the experience beyond the walls of the conference floor.

To help streamline the background conversations, Entrinsic and Social Media Week Toronto use a tool called the Back Channel, which helps facilitate instant feedback for speakers, panelists and presenters.

Imagine this: You’re an audience member and you have a sudden flash of insight, provoking a burning desire to share your thoughts. However, you don’t want to interrupt the speaker, or awkwardly wave your hand around like a grade schooler. Logging into the Back Channel, you post your comment and within seconds, it shows up on the screen for everyone to read and think about.

Oh wait, people loved your comment and it is now being voted up to the top of the list? Excellent. That’s what’s ideally supposed to happen.

This is also helpful for speakers. Gone are the days of calling on someone waving their hand in the air without knowing what to expect. With Back Channel, the top items are the ones people are essentially asking you to address. By properly harnessing this opportunity and answering quality, audience-vetted questions and comments, you can properly satisfy your audience.

Why is the Back Channel a super cool technology? Some of our criteria include relevance, cool factor, innovation and UX (because it can’t be cool if it’s not super easy to use).

Relevance: At the speed of real conversation
The Back Channel updates in real-time as questions or comments are submitted. The moderator or speaker can then take the opportunity to answer questions or comments as they arise, or wait until the end of the session to discuss that information.

Super cool UX: The ability to kick a question off the proverbial island
This ability is key, as it acts as a filter for audience interests. Love a question? Pump it up with up-votes and push it to the top. Think this question is boring or irrelevant? Toss it a down-vote and bump it off the charts. This feature helps increases the visibility of comments/questions that are valued by many in the audience, and hides comments/questions that do not provide as much value.

Innovation: Moderation
The Back Channel allows moderators to monitor the conversation and act as an added filter. Spammy, irrelevant or unwanted comments showing up? Just click the X and poof, it disappears into the ether. This helps keep the channel clean and allows pertinent information to rise to the top.

Cool factor: Retains questions
A common issue that happens at a speaker event or a panel is that time runs out, and questions or insights are left behind. The Back Channel helps to track and archive questions that the speaker or panelists can later access and answer.

Using the Back Channel can be a great way to engage audiences and encourage active sharing of insights both during and after your event.

We would like to share this technology with our SMWTO friends. If you are hosting a session at SMWTO and think that the Back Channel will be a great addition to your event, let us know!

Image by Justin Hall. Image used under Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0

Over the next while we are going to address some of the top FAQs – from event hosting to content creation, we know you have a lot of questions. Whether this is your first event or your fiftieth, you’re no doubt looking for a way to generate new audiences and some great buzz. Regardless of experience, there are some really great and basic ideas you can implement to take your event to the next level.

Question of the day: How can I make a truly noteworthy event?

1. Shake it up

While panels and speakers are the staple of any conference, unique venues and new formats always intrigue audiences. Ask yourself: What is it about my content that is innovative? How can I be inspired from my own ideas to create a totally unique experience?

From the list of things we know: Toronto loves to get interactive with both products and people, they love thought leadership, case-study presentations over how-to sessions, and being the first to do something new.

For example, here are some ways to present your content that can catch someone’s eye:

• A debate between experts
• Installations or product demo sessions that allow participants to explore content at their own pace
• Interesting locations to hold your event (how about a high speed train?)

Of course not every session can be done in these ways, but we encourage you to think creatively and see how you can work your content into an unforgettable experience.

2. Dig deeper

As social media use becomes ubiquitous in our society, we are moving away from the initial exploratory conversations about social media. We are no longer just reaching marketing professionals, but stretching far beyond into the daily life of everyone around us. The days of “What is Social Media?” are on their way out and now the question, “How can we better use Social Media?” is at the forefront of the conversation.

Some suggestions you can use to dig deeper into your content:

• In-depth case studies
• Use your audience to provide insight – poll them, involve them, have open discussions, etc.
• Include panelists and speakers using similar practices from outside your industry

3. Drive the buzz

Remember to promote your sessions! We’re expecting over 50 sessions, programs and events this year, so you’ll want to make sure you make your voice is heard. Start early, and be sure to capitalize on that buzz once your session is announced. Don’t be afraid to plug your session everywhere!

Some other tips that can help you drive the buzz:

• Watch out for people who are expressing interest in attending SMWTO and engage them if you think they might be interested in your event
• Send your session information to current clients, prospective clients, advisory boards, bosses, staff, digital and offline communities – you have the connections to spread the word and this is a great opportunity to show your own thought leadership
• Include these stakeholders into the conversation while you are creating your session – get them involved and they will be more inclined to talk about it.
• Remember, the more innovative the session the more likely you’ll be getting the press you are looking for

4. Court the controversial

The social media world is constantly shifting, and changes are happening everyday. Some of these changes will ignite a flurry of debate. Everyone loves a good controversy where they get to throw in their two cents. By guiding your conversation to places that are not commonly discussed, you’ll be breaking new ground by opening the door to scarcely heard discussions about some of the topics that matter the most.

Some topics that have been vigorously debated include:

• Online influence and Klout
• Online privacy and governance
• Age usage of popular sites
• Employee engagement on Social Media
• The role of social media in protest and civil disobedience (London riots, the Occupy movement, etc.)
• Personal vs. corporate branding
• Open Source

Want some other inspirational ideas? Check out SMW NY’s post from Ben Scheim about making your event unique.

Inspired to run an amazing event now? Submit your event , or let us know if you need help.

Images from Steve Jurvetson and Rochelle Hartman
Social Media Week Toronto 2011 image from Carmen Villadar