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By Anthony, Saturday, February 21, 2009 10:12

I spent the last two days attending the annual Northern Voice Social Media Conference and while I am not a paid blogger or a tech writer or a media type I found a number of interesting sessions. On Friday the highlight of the day for me was the Photocamp which was an open discussion on cameras, taking pictures in dark places, taking pictures of people and some discussion on using film instead of digital. I learned a few new tricks and saw some interesting camera and lens combinations. I think to go along with my Canon xti I will look at a small point and shoot camera to allow me to be more versatile.

The Saturday sessions started out with two keynotes, Nora Young, host of Spark on CBC Radio and Rob Cottingham, president of Social Signal a Social Media consulting firm. Rob ’s presentation looked at the funny side of social media such as Twitter and  other such tools. A very hilarious look at the different aspects of social media which made a nice start to the day.

The other sessions I attended

• The Future of Influence looking at how we look for advice and how we are influenced in our decisions
• Who are You? Defining Yourself in the Online World A panel discussion from 5 women and how your online activites can impact your everyday life and what they have learned. I found this to be an interesting perspective for a young person, maybe a teenager just getting online but for the over 30 crowd not a lot to be learned.
• Then and Now…Citizen Media and the Olympics A panel discussion concerning the changing ways to report on the Olympics and promoting the concept of Citizen Journalists (Bloggers) reporting on the Olympics and being accredited to report. A very interesting idea and one which I think is long overdue, it would allow for different perspectives and give participants, fans and anyone who cares to offer their insights an opportunity to provide information.

• From Permalink to Profound: Where is the Art in Social Media A discussion on if  there are profound things to be found from Social Media sites and tools. An interesting presentation and discussion with some good suggestions on possibly what was profound and where to look.

A good conference, where I met some interesting people and had a good time sharing. Definitely worth attending and I look forward to next year. Great job by the organizing committee to make a well rounded conference.