The organizers approached me to develop a web site to aggregate these posts in real-time before, during and after the event. In the process, I learned how such a site can reinforce the development of community.

I’m sure that you’ve been to events where good ideas are hatched and projects are planned, but often, despite the best of intentions, activity loses steam after the event is over, and nothing much gets done. It’s too early yet to judge the long-term effectiveness of this particular event, but I’m optimistic that it will make more of a difference than many such gatherings.

The electronic component of the event was relatively simple. We created a content-managed web site that would act as the hub for the many places that participants would post their contributions and reflections. We didn’t require participants to use a specific CMS tool (although they were welcome to use ours). Instead, before, during and after the conference, participants were encouraged to use existing technologies with which they were familiar to document their thoughts, and we then created links to their contributions.

Before the Event

The web site went live a couple of weeks before the event began. By that time, event announcements and registration had already been posted to a section on the sponsoring organization’s web site. Participants had been asked to interview another attendee as a “get-to-know-you” exercise. The results were to have been posted, but very few did so — I suspect because the CMS used by the sponsoring organization has a significant learning curve.

In the future, I would recommend creating the event-specific web site much sooner, and using a simpler CMS-, group-blog, social-network or wiki-based system for posting pre-event discussions and comments.

During the Event

The venue at our local university had limited wired connectivity, but it was sufficient for a video stream, an audio stream, and the web updates that I was doing. The video stream worked fine; the audio stream was less successful because the university had blocked the ports we needed. For the same reason, we had to use a MiFi connection to use FTP. Thankfully, this did not affect access to our CMS.

Participants were able to connect using Wi-Fi, which worked well, aside from some issues with entering passwords. I’m guessing that perhaps fifty people were connected at any one time.

The event web site included the following, all of which was updated frequently:

• An attendee list, with links to participants’ web sites and Twitter feeds.
• The event agenda. Since the event was an “un-conference” using the “open space” approach, much of the agenda was developed on the spot by attendees.
• A Twitter statuses JavaScript badge showing posts from the event. These tweets were mostly done by me on behalf of event organizers, but other committee members also tweeted through the conference account.
• A Twitter search widget showing a real-time feed of all posts using the conference hashtag. A full-screen version of this widget was projected in the room where most discussions took place, and it proved very popular.
• A link to a Twapperkeeper archive of the Twitter hashtag feed.
• A Facebook fan box linking to the event’s Facebook page.
• A Flickr badge and links to tagged photos and videos. Flipcharts and graphs were scanned or photographed, then posted to Flickr and to the web site as JPGs and PDFs. We also put up a Picasa link at the request of attendees, but it didn’t get used.
• A Ustream video feed. Video of many sessions was fed live into the site, then archived.
• A link to YouTube search results tagged with the event’s tag.
• An audio feed. Podcasts of many sessions were made available later.
• Links to blogs of those attendees who were writing about the event.
• A wiki for allowing attendees to post notes from event sessions. We chose to use a wiki rather than giving all users access to the CMS, although I think that in future we might go the other way, as some found editing the wiki difficult.
• An RSS feed for tracking changes to all of the above.

After the Event

We had not created a LinkedIn group before the event. However, participants indicated that they wanted to have an electronic venue for continuing the discussion after the conference. We surveyed the room, and discovered that almost everyone was already a LinkedIn user. Since LinkedIn groups and subgroups can be created immediately, we chose to use that service. We could have selected another group conversation service, though, and participants may move to more sophisticated collaborative tools as their discussions continue.

Planning and Setup

If you are ever called upon to provide this sort of support to an event, it can be fun and educational. Here are some tips to make things go smoothly.

• Get involved with the planning committee as soon as possible, and get an event-specific web site posted early.
• Agree on the hashtag for the event, and publicize it.
• Coordinate with the meeting venue to make sure that it has adequate power and bandwidth (both wired and Wi-Fi), and that it does not block ports.
• Plan to bring your own equipment if possible, or make sure that you have everything you’ll need.
• Set up a “tech table” in a convenient location.
• Have a group of volunteers who can cover the full event.
• Give yourself lots of time for setup and breakdown.
• Have a dedicated laptop and projector for displaying the Twitter hashtag feed — participants will love it.
• Consider what you’ll need in the way of cameras, scanners and printers. We had them all, and they were handy to have, but we could probably have done without them.

I found that attendees’ blogging, tweeting, recording and instant posting about the event reinforced what they were thinking and learning. Thus, the effectiveness of the event was increased, along with the potential for new learning and insights to cause change in the wider world.

How do you use social media and the web for events?

Images by Flickr users Choconancy1 and hajush

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• How to Market Your iPhone App: A Developer’s Guide
• Report: The Live-Stream Video Market

Many people believe that Wi-Fi problems in densely populated urban areas are due to congestion — that there is simply too much data to push through the available channels, and that their neighbors are using all of the available bandwidth. However, the Ofcom research says this isn’t the case, and the more likely culprit will be interference in the 2.4GHz spectrum. It states, “It only requires a single device, such as a video sender, to severely affect Wi-Fi services within a short range, such that a single large building or cluster of houses can experience difficulties with using a single Wi-Fi channel.”

So before you start blaming congestion, check your house for likely sources of interference, and try switching channels. The Ofcom report names as likely culprits:

• Baby monitors
• AV senders
• Microwave ovens
• Wireless security cameras

Other devices that might interfere in this spectrum include cordless phones, fluorescent lights and Bluetooth devices. Unfortunately, if the source of interference is in a neighbor’s apartment, it will be much harder to eliminate.

Share your Wi-Fi tips in the comments.

(Via Ars Technica)

Image by Flickr user dwaynehoov

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

The MiFi is a pocketable, battery-powered combined 3G modem and Wi-Fi router that effectively provides a hotspot that you can take with you anywhere. James Kendrick over at our sister site jkOnTheRun has had a pre-release version of the device for review and says that it’s “mobile broadband done right.” Once the device has been activated, hit the power button and — in a matter of seconds — your laptop, phone and any other devices (up to five at any one time) are connected to the Verizon Mobile Broadband network via Wi-Fi, without needing to install drivers.

Although the device goes on sale on Sunday from Verizon stores, if you ask nicely you might be able to get your hands on one now. The MiFi costs $99.99 (after a $50 rebate) and is available with a choice of two subscriptions:

• $39.99 month for 250 MB and 10 cents per MB overage
• $59.99 month for 5 GB and 5 cents per MB overage

Alternatively, you can buy the MiFi with no contract for an upfront cost of $269.99, with “day passes” available for $15.

The MiFi is a branded version of the Novatel MiFi. Other carriers (like Sprint) will be offering their own versions, too.

Will you be picking up a MiFi?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Mobile Wrap-up: Q1 2009
• A 2011 Green IT Forecast

Do you know where to find an outlet to recharge and work before your flight leaves?

If you’re a member of an airline club or fly first- or business-class you probably have nothing to worry about. The airport lounges for those who can afford them offer some privacy, with cubicles for working and phoning. Here’s one guide to airline-operated clubs worldwide. Priority Pass is a program that gives you access to clubs and lounges worldwide for an annual fee.

But that’s not an option for most of us, considering the number of weary business travelers you see around airport gates, often sitting on the floor against a wall or pillar, working away. Those people have found a power source, and some I’ve seen adopt the hard stare of someone willing to fight to keep it.

For the most part, finding power in an airport is accomplished by trial-and-error, and is frequently harder than getting a WiFi connection. Many airports worldwide make connections available, either free or for a fee of $7 to $10 a day, throughout their terminals.

For power, you learn which airlines have stations near gates with multiple outlets where you can plug in. Southwest has more of those than most airlines, in my experience. Some JetBlue gate areas also have them. Logically enough, several airlines at the San Jose, Calif., airport have stations in their gate areas.

There is not much information on the web to help you if you’re in unfamiliar airport.

One source is a WiKi on Microsoft manager Jeff Sandquist’s personal blog, appropriately named airpower. Looking at airpower, however, reveals the difficulty of the task. Typical of the entries is one for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport:

Gate A 18: on the pole near the women’s restroom (2 outlets) – chair close by!

An entry for the Frankfurt, Germany, airport reads:

Second Floor, Beside the emergency exit next to McDonalds. Behind the table a bit away from the McDonalds itself.

In other words, the information is very helpful as far as it goes but may be incomplete. Is that table still in the same place at the Frankfurt McDonalds?

Often the only way to find a working outlet at the airport and in the concourse you need to use is to prowl around in gate areas that aren’t occupied or where the crowd is small, or in common areas just past security checkpoints.

Think of places where the cleaning crew would logically need to plug in equipment. Look behind chairs, on pillars and around airline ticketing podiums.

Another possibility is at airports where not all of the pay phones have been ripped out. At Philadelphia International, I have found that at least some cubicle-like booths with a seat and a small shelf (D Concourse) have outlets – an apparent leftover from the days when access to a landline was needed to use a laptop.

If all else fails, consider doing what one frequent flier I read about a couple of years ago does: Carry a short extension cord with a three-outlet adapter. If you find someone using the only outlet in sight, ask them to share.

If you have experience with this problem, and information to share, please let us have it.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

A little about me: Last spring I left a fulltime position as a reporter, columnist and blogger for The Philadelphia Inquirer and joined your world as a home-based freelance writer — doing the same amount of work for half the money! I continue to write a Philly-focused column and blog for the newspaper. What I’ll offer for WWD readers will be more wide ranging, talking about ways to work efficiently wherever and whenever you’re traveling, along with throwing out ideas for stretching your travel budget to the max.

My first topic is a basic for the business traveler whose working life depends on web access, and is one that many of you probably have some experience with.

How do you avoid surprises when you check into a hotel, find your room and fire up the laptop to check e-mail or do other work online?

The great majority of hotels of all brands, sizes and comfort levels, both domestic and foreign, have high-speed Internet access these days. Many chains promote it in their advertising, and most of the time it’s “free,” which really means it’s included in the room rate.

But as strange as it may seem, the more luxurious and expensive your hotel is, the more likely it is you will have to pay extra for access. The fee is usually no more than $10 a day, perhaps not a big deal if you, your employer or client has shelled out $150 to $300 for the room. But we’re talking here about some really nice places, including Ritz-Carltons, Four Seasons and full-service, four-star Hiltons, Marriotts and Sheratons, virtually all of which have the annoying policy of adding on the fee.

Exceptions do abound: Often the fee can be included in negotiated corporate room rates or will be waived if you’re fairly high-ranking member of a hotel’s frequent-guest program.

I’ve always avoided the Internet access fee by, usually of necessity because of budget constraints, by staying in three-star or occasionally two-star hotels.  I use Hampton Inn a lot because, first, I know I’m not going to pay the fee, and I also know what else I’m going to get. Every room in the chain, a Hilton division, has a good-sized work desk and comfortable desk chair, and a nifty tray designed specifically to let you work on a laptop while reclining in bed or the lounge chair.

But I’m not just endorsing one brand. Most of the other mid-priced divisions of the hotel chains don’t charge the fee and have made strides in recent years in making it easier to work in your room, with decent desks and chairs. Most Choice Hotels, which run the Comfort Inn and Quality brands, lower-priced Marriotts, including Fairfield Inn and Garden Inns, and all Best Westerns have no access fee. Even some lower-priced brands are the same, with exceptions like Motel 6.

I have found only two ways to make sure you know in advance whether you’ll be hit with a fee: Look at the “policies” or “services and amenities” page on the individual hotel’s web site to see what the policy is, or call the hotel directly and ask. And that leads me to another topic I’ll provide more advice on soon:

How do you get the lowest room rate? The short answer is often the old-fashioned way: Pick up the phone and haggle.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

There’s a new functional trend emerging with these portable productivity tools now that Asus is starting to offer integrated wireless broadband in the product line.

But that begs a question about wireless connectivity: do you go with integrated or opt for a plug-in solution?

The answer is a personal choice of course, but there’s a key factor involved: do you plan to web work on a single device or will you be using several? If you’re going to work mainly using just one device, an integrated solution ought to work just fine. There’s a wireless radio inside the device, similar to a WiFi or Bluetooth card, and you can seamlessly connect to the web anywhere your provider offers coverage. It’s as simple as using WiFi to connect to a hotspot: it just works.

Using more than one device though? Here’s where it gets sketchy because that wireless broadband card in your notebook only offers fast Internet service to that notebook. There are software solutions to share that connection by essentially creating a WiFi hotspot, but that means you have to have the computer with you. At that point you might as well use that one in lieu of any other that doesn’t have wireless broadband, right?

Multiple device owners are better served with a card or dongle that offers the same 3G capability. You can find them available in a number of form factors: PC Card, ExpressCard and USB.

I opted for this small USB device shown which works with every one of my PCs and Macs. This allows me to be connected to the Internet wherever I am and with whatever device I have with me.

Remember, these wireless 3G plans can set you back around $60 a month: why limit the plan to just a single device if you have many that can use it?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Report: The Future of Netbooks!
• A 2011 Green IT Forecast
• Green IT’s Q4 Winners: Wind Power, Solar Power, Smart Energy

If you tend to “set it and forget it,” it’s worth checking in on your actual Wi-Fi performance whether you’re in public or using your own network. Here are a couple of free tools that make this easy.

Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor does the footwork that many of the “look for network availability” tools do, and then some. It will display a list of available networks and also deliver lots of information about default encryption on networks you can connect to, what type of networks they are, and more.

On top of this, though, Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor delivers lots of detailed information about the signal you’re getting, and the signals available on other nearby networks. For the user of public Wi-Fi hotspots, it’s a great tool. It’s downloadable as a Windows Vista gadget, a Mac OS X widget, an XP widget, or a desklet for Linux.

When you’re using your Wi-Fi network at home, take a few minutes out to run through the battery of tests found in Qcheck. This tool will tell you what kinds of streaming throughput and signals you’re getting. You can also use it iteratively to test the kind of performance you might get if you move your router and access points around. (Wi-Fi is radio technology, and radio is weird, so this can make a big difference.)

Both of these tools are free, and if you’re increasingly using Wi-Fi, they’re both good to get.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Personally, I think web workers are probably smart enough to not be driving with a laptop in their lap (though, after watching some Blackberry and iPhone users, I may be too optimistic there). More to the point, those of us who need traveling connectivity already have it, via EVDO modems and the like. The Chrysler UConnect system may some day make connectivity from taxicabs and limousines simpler, but for now, it looks like just another status-generating toy.

Would you pay an extra $450 for an internet-enabled car?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce

Only the FON-ely...FON-liness Of The Long Distance Runner. Yes, I had a whole bank of puns to title this post. They’ll all aptly tragic in telling the tale of a promising piece of web worker infrastructure that has in essence become a network of very lonely and isolated hotspots…

I first came across FON at O’Reilly’s Emerging Telephony 2006 conference, as then company evangelist Ejovi Nuwere outlined a vision of a global wifi network built from the grassroots, owned and operated by its users. Ejovi explained that users installing a FON hotspot would be able to earn revenue from its use or, if they agreed to charge no access fee, use every other FON hotspot at no cost when travelling away from home.

A few months later I recieved a complimentary La Fonera router, becoming the 4089th ‘Fonero’ (currently there are 671’363 users). A few days ago, I switched off my La Fonera, packaging it for an eBay bidder that paid just $17. Now the thing is, none of those 671’362 other Fonero’s hotspots were in places I where I needed connectivity…

FON showed great promise, attacking the fragmented wifi hotspot market and placing pressure on 3G broadband providers by harnessing the energy of the very people that would benefit from its service. The promise of a disruptive user-owned global wifi network was a large part of the company’s marketing, playing on the iconography and language of revolution. With $22m in funding from Google, Skype and venture capitalists, the company seemed poised for success…so what went wrong?

• Mobile broadband providers have wised up with 3G plans and hardware available for as little as $20/month here in the UK. Also users have a plethora of reasonable HSDPA and Wifi options. Though, incidentally, O2 won’t be letting UK iPhone 3G users use their phones as modems to the 3G network!

• FON-liness! FON is not where you need it despite their partnerships with telcos and municipalities, I’ve yet to find a FON location when I needed one. Airports, railway stations, gas stations are well served by national wifi providers. These are the location owners FON needed to align with. I’m not going to need broadband parked up outside some guys house, but I’ll need it waiting for a train to London.

• Crazy ass distractions at FON labs with the development of Gmail uploaders, URL squeezers and Facebook status tools are an unneccessary waste of resources. 20% time is only valuable when the other 80% is making a real difference to the business. It also indicates to investors that the founders are bored with the core business of the company.

• Basic hardware has been a constant frustration for Foneros, with the inexpensive La Fonera lacking many features common to Linksys, Belkin and other cheap routers (like more than one port!). Indeed, FON missed a strategic blunder in failing to convince those very manufacturers to add FON-like capabilities to their products out of the box. It can be argued the FON’s firmware is its core asset and proliferating that – agnostic of hardware – was a keystone strategy.

In 2006, I argued that my employers, Orange UK, could partner with FON to create the world’s largest hotzone. My superiors convinced me that if Orange wanted to do that, they could simply upgrade the firmware of all their domestic hotspots – without FON. FON’s potential role as a organisation that could enable roaming between multiple wifi networks was sadly unexplored.

So sadly the promise of FON’s $5 wireless router and it’s community-grown network is almost irrelevant. However, Web workers have many more options available to them. Take my advice and eBay that La Fonera…I’ll be putting that $17 towards an Airport Extreme :)

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• 3 Trends Defining the Future of the Digital Home
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce