Tag: Upworthy

(Almost) Everything you Missed at SMW NYC

Posted on by Sara Adam

Social Media Week New York was a whirlwind of excitement with all Official Events under one roof for the first time. Though it would be impossible to dive into every single incredible event from the week, we will try to outline some of our more memorable moments (for our short list, check out our CULTURALIST Top 10 here).

We kicked things off at our VIP Opening Night Party nomming on Chipotle chips and locally grown appetizers from Wholefoods. This party certainly helped get things started on the right foot, showcasing some of the awesome installations on the ground floor at Campus at Highline Stages.

Campus buzzed with excitement on Tuesday morning about hearing BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti interviewed by Social Media Week’s Executive Director, Toby Daniels. Percolate packed the house, sharing seven useful tools for content marketers and Refinery29 dished on how to make money through digital publishing platforms. For attendees in regulated industries, Pzifer and Liveworld discussed the nuances of connecting to customers within the restraints of their industry. Tuesday evening ended with a panel on Startups To Watch, where 10 companies showcased their value propositions.

betaworks CEO, John Bothwork, discussed the betaworks approach to product creation on Wednesday morning, and Eli Pariser of Upworthy made an announcement (you won’t believe what happened next!). Next, leaders in the non-profit tech world inspired us with the ways that technology can be leveraged for the good of society. Steve Case, founder and CEO of venture firm Revolution, was interviewed about the industries most ready for disruption, and Merck tackled innovation in health. Tech in Motion hosted a fashion show of wearable tech. Though we might be biased, one of our favorite Wednesday events was the launch of our book, “On! The Future of Now,” whose profits will go toward the amazing work happening through charity: water to increase global access to clean drinking water.

Halfway through the week on Thursday morning, Lisa Gansky, Robin Chase, and Seth Godin shared with us the value the can be created simply by connecting people and their resources to one another. In a three-hour track they brought together some of the leading minds creating value through collaboration. Unmetric quizzed everyone on their brand knowledge, while Cindy Gallop hosted a three-hour panel about Changing the World Through Sex. MKG led a discussion on mobile innovation, and our evening ended with a screening of the documentary, WEB.

Nokia announced Friday that they would be powering the live camera-feed broadcasting Fabien Cousteau’s record-breaking expedition, Mission 31, in real time. Planet Earth always fascinated us, so we can’t wait be a part of this ocean adventure! Then, Spotify brought together an incredible lineup from the music industry to discuss the future of music, and The Huffington Post explored new definitions of success at The Third Metric. MRPR looked at the ways millennials are changing the landscape of the Internet.

And throughout all week, we were in and out of Nokia’s NOWStudio, making awesome short-form videos, visiting 140 Proof to get our social portraits, getting glammed up for Leica’s close-up, and checking out the other installations throughout Campus.

Our Closing Party hosted by Nokia MixRadio did not disappoint with a great acoustic performance by husband-wife duo, JOHNNYSWIM, DJ Sean Glass, followed by a performance from The White Panda. Between booze sponsors keeping us in the proper spirits and music to dance to, the closing party really was the only proper way to end another epic Social Media Week. And if you missed out on anything, be sure to check out the sessions on Livestream and make sure it doesn’t happen again! See you in 2015!

SMWNYC Recap: Day 2 From Social@Ogilvy

Posted on by Heather Taylor

Day Two at Social Media Week started off with a bang – Eli Pariser took to the stage to talk all things Upworthy, for the first time since the site has become viewed by over 60 billion people a month.

Here are the 5 takeaways the Social@Ogilvy team have from day two…what were yours?

  1. What’s trending isn’t always important
    Good news organizations (and brands) bring together aspirational and behavioral signals to balance their content. Both need to be treated equally and both need to be fed. This includes looking at what people do (share, click, create community action) and what they say.

    Is the content both compelling and substantive? The answer should be yes. And importantly, companies like Upworthy are looking at a new engagement metric they’re calling attention minutes and are going to the community to get their feedback on what they want the future of content to be.

    By reading behavior in the context of aspirations, we should now look at content in terms of “Am I doing it right?” and not “Are they interested?”

  2. Data will rule – but we won’t care
    Data is becoming more relevant and accessible and more tailored to our personal interests. By 2020, we might see Google Now-like technology permeate our lives, making data available before we ask for it, and helping us keep track of our habits and routines. Our main function will be to optimize the feed, or adjust it in the moment.

    Any app that’s relevant to you will be able to provide alerts or info, relevant to you, at a key time, possibly before you ask for it. For example: Your fitness-activity monitor, which knows you go running every Tuesday and Thursday, will let you know one of the streets on your route is closed due to construction and will know how to adjust your route, while keeping your distance, elevation, and other metrics generally the same.

  3. Wearable tech continues to innovate
    Wearables help amplify our expression and provide control over the sea of data we generate and have the ability to turn any activity into play. By putting the consumer at the center of action and allowing them to see how their actions impact the data and benefits – create a lasting bind between the person and tech.

    Sports, fitness, wellness, heath are sizzling with opportunity in the wearable tech space. But, in addition to counting our steps and perspiration and pushing email notifications – there is great opportunity to aid integration into life of those who might have a disability or impairment.

    Old school keyboard and mouse cause carpal tunnel for millions and it’s even more challenging for those with a disability. Wearables are here to change that.

  4. The leaders of the next digital revolution will be unexpected
    Steve Case, CEO of Revolution, a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm he co-founded in 2005, is best known as one of the founders of America Online, launched when only when only 3% of personal-computer users were online.  AOL was the first Internet company to go public, in 1992, when it had only 200,000 users. “You just gotta persevere,” he said.

    To find innovation, it pays to look beyond Silicon Valley and New York City. “Good ideas can be anywhere,” Case said, citing hidden gems like Austin and parts of North Carolina. Young entrepreneurs live in a world of greater diversity and opportunity where the people behind the company matter less than the quality of the idea.

    To fully access troves of talent, America needs immigration reform to compete with countries with more lax laws, Case said.

  5. The death of CPM ad units is near
    Storytelling is exactly the same as it was 50 years ago. That’s how we like to consume information. The “way” we tell stories is what has changed. Can’t just put an ad on the internet because it doesn’t make sense.

    Native advertising has a great role to play in the solution, but makes up a very small amount of ads. We have developed banner blindness – so we can develop social sponsored blindness too.

    Advertisers should be scared by the prospect of Pandora One, Netflix – places where consumers pay to not see ads. Just because attention is there, doesn’t automatically mean advertising will follow. But if we do have the attention, the frequency model goes away. Everything changes.

Social Media Week Un(filtered): Steven Rosenbaum’s Guide

Posted on by Sara Adam

Another Social Media Week rockstar who will be joining us this year is Steven Rosenbaum. Steven is best known as the producer behind the creation of MTV News UNfiltered. Then, in 2011, he published Curation Nation, a book that explores the need for brands to curate content that engages their customers. Currently, he is the CEO of Magnify, a video curation platform that enables companies to create a uniquely engaging experience for their customers. Needless to say, he is an expert on all things storytelling and all things millennial. You will not want to miss these events, so  register for SMW before it’s too late!

In Stevens’ own words, here are 5 reasons he is pumped about Social Media Week: 

The thing is, I’m a long-form storyteller that’s increasingly in love with the democratization of new platforms that are connecting audiences with new voices. Ah, therein lies the conundrum. Are we unleashing a new force for social and editorial good, or are we hooked on a new drug that ties speed, viral headlines, and funny cat videos to an audience that scans rather than reads?

With those big questions in mind, I’m counting on SMW to provide the answers (or at least engage in a smart conversation about the trends facing storytelling). So, my Curator cape is on, and I’m ready to nail the five most awesome presentations and panels in this week, chock full of content.

Here’s my Curator’s top 5.

  1. Is Social Killing Storytelling?
    This panel is going to be a minefield of twists and turns. The panelists are from ‘big media’s Bravo TV, The guardian, The Atlantic, and ‘big web’  Huffpo and Mashable. So they are going to say that social is awesome! But at the same time, what happens when social “Is Storytelling” and Twitter replaces The Guardian. Yikes.
  2. Keynote interview: Jonah Peretti, Founder and CEO of BuzzFeed
    So, first off — Toby isn’t going to let Jonah just have a BuzzFeed commercial. The fact is, BuzzFeed is a traffic machine. Massive and growing. But is it a trick, or is it really the future of editorial? Toby will find out – and the whole world will finally know 🙂
  3. Upworthy’s Real Mission: A Keynote Announcement from Eli Pariser, Founder
    Since I can’t see Eli and Jonah in a cage match, this is the next best thing. Eli has a mission, and I think we know what it is (see: moveOn.org) but there may be more. And in a world of Filter Bubbles, Upworthy needs to continue to grow while not creating a bubble of it’s own. Can’t wait to hear what he’s got to say.
  4. Five Ways Millennials’ Habits Are Changing How Content is Made and Shared
    Even as BuzzFeed and Upworthy sort out the new traffic world, millennials are morphing yet again. From computer screens to mobile devices, from SMS to vanishing text, Vine, Listicles – the kids today are turning content upside down. And they’re just getting started.
  5. The Future of Giving: Storytelling, Big Data, Crowdfunding, and Finding New Donors
    Storytelling at its core is about having an impact. And this panel connects the story of change with the dollars that drive change. It’s a unique conversation -and the kind of panel that makes me love SMW all the more. Stories connect and change the world. I’m in.

We only let Steven choose 5 events, so make sure to check out our schedule for a wealth of events on topics like journalism, marketing and technology.

The Future of Business: SMW in the Eyes of Sara Holoubek

Posted on by Sara Adam

Sara Holoubek is the founder and CEO of Luminary Labs, a network of experts that helps create the business models that make organizations resilient to changing markets. Technology and social media are an important part of the business models that will be successful in the future of our always-on, always connected-world. Something Sara understands intimately. As a longtime friend and partner, we trust her recommendations completely — and so should you.

These are the events that Sara is most excited for:

  1. Startups to Watch in 2014 presented by Entrepreneur.com
    Because I always love big, messy, industries, and the startups about to disrupt them.
  2. The Future of Now: Health Innovation Track, Presented by Merck
    Health tech is hot.
  3. What (bio)Tech Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Tesla.
    If you haven’t been to the Harlem (bio)Space yet, it’s a must. Right here, in New York City, evolutionary biotech ideas now have a space where they can become the products that solve real health problems. Plus, they have really cool t-shirts.
  4. Fueling Social Fandom at MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central
    Everything I learned about influencer engagement came from Don Steele.
  5. Upworthy’s Real Mission: A Keynote Announcement from Eli Pariser, Founder.
    Because it is brilliant to make “what’s important popular, even if what’s popular isn’t considered important by the masses.”

To catch up with Sara at Social Media Week, check out these events (and others) and register now! We are excited for her to join us and we want you to be there!

The Present and Future State of Media, Featured at SMW NYC

Posted on by Nicky Yates

Many have touted 2013 as the year that changed publishing and media. From listicles taking over our news feeds to the growing dominance of native advertising to Upworthy’s staggering growth numbers (which have outpaced even that of the New York Times), last year we witnessed a seismic shift in the industry.

We’re diving deep into these at SMW NYC, and you’ll be able to know what lays in store for media in 2014 with event like these:

Distribution is Key

Few companies have scaled quite the way BuzzFeed has, especially with its range. It truly is the epitome of a digitally native brand and a perfect case study, which is why we’re bringing in CEO and Founder, Jonah Peretti for a conversation on original and branded content, data analytics, mobile apps, and which social platforms are most important for BuzzFeed’s model.

Later in the week, BuzzFeed will be sharing specifically on how they have emerged as king of content distribution. Social is the new starting point for how we discover, consume and share content. But good content doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll go viral. So, Jonathan Perelman, VP of Agency Strategy and Industry Development at BuzzFeed, joins us to explain how content and distribution can work successfully together. If your brand is engaging in content marketing on any level, this conversation is one you can’t miss.

Harness the Power of Social

If it’s not BuzzFeed clogging up your newsfeed, then you’re seeing the world’s fastest growing media brand, Upworthy. Upworthy curates meaningful content on social, economic and societal issues that is then massively shared by the site’s community. Upworthy.com routinely breaks its own traffic records and has more views than the New York Times, FOX News or BleacherReport — meaning, Founder and CEO, Eli Pariser, knows how to harness the power of social media. He’ll be on hand at SMW NYC to share his secret sauce and where Upworthy as a media entity is heading.

Get Mobile

Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Adults now get their news on Twitter, with 85% of those consuming it on a mobile device. This means media organizations are more than ever needing to address this change. So, we’re featuring a debate between publishing industry leaders and an interactive audience discussion centered on the future of digital, mobile, and social platforms for news organizations. At the end of this event, we’ll all have an understanding of how outlets can make the most of mobile and social platforms and what journalists and editors need to know.

Overall, we’ll be presenting a solid look at the present state and future of media, along with a focus on leaders you can look to. All we need is you.

Get your pass today here and join us for a serious look at media.

A Reason to Unplug

Posted on by Nicky Yates

The Future of Now looks at the balance we all need in life, using tech to enhance our humanity and reconnect. And the holidays remind us of the need for this.

We’re thrilled to be hosting numerous sessions during SMW14 that are geared directly toward this. We have Erica Dhawan sharing on connectional intelligence. When almost everyone has at least the capacity to link up with people, power, ideas, information and faraway resources, how do we connect better, faster, more efficiently. It’s a deep look at the power of our relationships.

We also have Upworthy’s Eli Pariser sharing how you can encompasses using community to truly effect change with content. As the king of viral, he understands the distinct reasons we share and the revelations that has for us and our networks. We’re even getting a little granular during the week with a Masterclass that looks at how tech can help us combat the health and physical aspects of staring at a screen all day.

We know the week holds something for everyone. And we want you to be there with us, our creative partner MKG, and Nokia at Campus at Highline Stages.

Our 20% Early Bird Discount is still in effect (only until January 8th, though!). Plus, if you purchase on Tuesday, we’ll donate 20% of all our Pass sales to benefit Bpeace, an organization that helps entrepreneurs expand and scale their businesses to lead to stability and peace in post conflict countries.

This means you save $80 off your Insider Pass, give $80 to help entrepreneurs, and score a $50 gift card to BOND with your Insider Pass on Tuesday.

We wish you a wonderful holiday season and hope to see you in February!

Eli Pariser: Building the Fastest Growing Media Site Of All Time

Posted on by Nicky Yates

For those who crave a way to share their passion for social change, Eli Pariser and Upworthy are common names. Eli established Upworthy with Chris Hughes of Facebook and Peter Koechly of The Onion with the goal to make important content as viral as Charlie biting your finger.

And it’s worked. Upworthy is the fastest growing media site of all time, bringing the “awesome”, the “meaningful” and the “visual” all together.

Upworthy isn’t Eli’s first venture though. Eli is a true veteran of the Web. He formerly directed the liberal grassroots organization, MoveOn, working as a catalyst for citizen-driven change. Under his stewardship, MoveOn grew 10 times larger and collected more then $120 million in small donations. Eli realized the power of organizing individuals to take small actions for change, tripling the organization’s member base and creating a political shift in the 2006 elections.

“We really need the Internet to be that thing that we all dreamed of it being. We need it to connect us all together. We need it to introduce us to new ideas and new people and different perspectives. And it’s not going to do that if it leaves us all isolated in a Web of one.”

In 2011, after noticing that social media and search engines were eliminating some friends’ posts from his feed and only showing him search results tailored to his tastes, he sounded the alarm on the increasingly narrow lens that social media algorithms and search networks are creating in the name of ‘personalization’ in The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You. His TED talk on the topic has been seen more than 2.5 million times.

Shortly thereafter, he co-founded the company that encompasses both – using his community–organizing expertise to help combat the narrow lens of social media and search algorithms. Upworthy curates meaningful content on social, economic and societal issues that is then massively shared by the site’s community. Upworthy.com routinely breaks its own traffic records, seeing more than 46 million page views in October 2013, and garnering more views than the New York Times, FOX News or BleacherReport.

Join us to hear what he has to say grassroots organization, his experience growing organizations, and the future of Upworthy. Grab your pass now here.