IBC 2009 – Amsterdam
Last week I was in Amsterdam with my colleagues for “IBC 2009” to represent our company Net Insight. IBC stands for “International Broadcasting Convention” and is an annual trade show for broadcasters, content creators/providers, equipment manufacturers, professional and technical associations, and other participants in the broadcast industry.
Net Insight Partner Meeting:
After reaching to our hotel (on the right), Bengt (our product manager) and I
decided to move on to our partner meeting at downtown Amsterdam. The event took place in Hard Rock Cafe which was by the river and had a very pleasant atmosphere.
The meeting started with Net Insight executives having presentations about the company and the latest developments like IP Trunk and Ethernet Switching Since the attendees were actually our partners, people were listening with full enthusiasm.
The interest has even peaked up when a magician came to the stage and did really cool magic tricks. The event went on with the award ceremony for the best partner of us. There were a lot of interesting presentations. For me Nikos’s presentation about how Net Insight delivered the Beijing 2008 Olympics without a single packet loss was the most interesting.
After we have listened to all the presentations it was time for the long-waited dinner. Filling our stomaches to the full, we were ready to network and connect with the other professionals. I had the pleasure to meet a lot of interesting and nice people from all around the world. They have shared different actual information about the markets that we were operating. I have seen once more that even in Europe the markets are so different from each other and local conditions are totally different i.e companies tend to be much more price-sensitive in Netherlands.
A Big, Real Big Convention Center
The first impression I got from the RAI Convention Center was that, it is really BIG! There were more than 45.000 attendees and a lot companies showing their latest products and connecting with their potential customers. People were waiting in the lines for registration and it was really crowded even at the first day.
At The Booth
This was the first time for me to work at the booth and be exposed to the potential customers who were asking questions about different features of our products. Listening to the questions they have asked and how my colleagues answered them, I began to understand better our place in the market and what type of problems we are actually solving. Seeing smiling customers who were coming back to see what we have developed lately was real good sign for the company.
Walking Around The Trade Fair
Although I didn’t have much time to walk around and see what other companies have been doing, Anders (our pre-sales guru) showed me around and gave me a lot of information about the competition and the market. We have seen many interesting stuff but I can list some of them as follows:
- 3D HD TV – which you watch with special glasses
- Hollywood quality cameras
- Remote controllable helicopter cameras
- Of course Net Insight products 🙂
Amsterdam
Meanwhile, we had a couple of hours after the working hours to see the town and learn what it offers to the visitors. As far as I have seen, Amsterdam is a very lively city but the taxi drivers that I have talked told me that it is only weekends. But I can still say it gives you much more living energy compared to Stockholm.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, during this trade fair, I had the opportunity to have a look at the “big picture” of the industry and see where we fit in this picture. Talking to the customers and partners, I have learned more than I could have learned in months. I have to say that some of them knew better than me, so I actually was listening and learning from them as well. I am glad that I was at IBC 2009 and looking forward to attending the next one in 2010.
Filed under: Business | 2 Comments
Tags: "ibc 2009", ibc, international broadcasting convention, net insight
Second Period of My Life
As of today, the first period of my life has finished. Yesterday, I did my 
master thesis presentation and sent the latest version of my final report to my examiner which was my last assignment for the “first part” of my life, which can be summarized as studying and gathering as much information as possible.
Starting from Monday, I will be a “young professional” and it will be the beginning of the second period of my life which can be summarized as “having a career and improving yourself”. The first stop in my professional career is being a “Pre-Sales Engineer” at NetInsight AB. I hope that, I will learn a lot and succeed with the company for many long years.
My final report from my master thesis could be found in my “e-marketing master thesis” blog if you are interested. Otherwise, this is the latest news from my side and I wish a great “midsummer” for everybody!
Filed under: Personal | Leave a Comment
A new Swedish webservice (Webwill) is going to let you prepare twitter, facebook or even myspace messages those will be sent out after your death.
Your Online Heritage
Swedish design student Lisa Granberg from Beckmans College of Design states
that an average Swede spends almost 2,5 hours online for twittering, sending messages on Facebook and even blogging. But there is no way to control your online life after your death.Yet, it is most probable that none of your friends or relatives will have the necessary information to access your social networking accounts. So how are you going to say your last words to the people out there?
Facebook Status: Parachuting..
Would you want your facebook status to remain as “parachuting..” forever after your sudden fall from 4.500 meters? Of course not ! What about your confession about your unknown kid, would you trust technology to let everyone know about it ?
Real Thoughts
The idea is really bright in a way that it took a lot of attention from the media at least here in Sweden. It can be argued if it really solves a problem but it sure made my day. What do you think, would this idea take off?
The Local (Sweden’s News in English) Article
Filed under: Business | 3 Comments
Tags: afterdeath service, swedish webservice, webwill, webwill svenska, webwill.se
Facebook’s Vanity Url Move
Facebook is preparing itself for selling “vanity urls” to its users. “Vanity url” is like having a meaningful address such as “facebook.com/gokhandogan” instead of complicated set of strings.
Myspace has already been letting its users to have “vanity url”s for their profiles for a long time so it seems like a no-brainer for Facebook.
Who has it now?
The only pages that presently have vanity URLs are bands and businesses that partnered with Facebook for the initial launch of this new product:
- http://www.facebook.com/demimoore
- http://www.facebook.com/kevinrose
- http://www.facebook.com/u2
- http://www.facebook.com/ashtonkutcher
Who would pay for it?
Not me! Even in my wildest dreams, wouldn’t I pay for it BUT it would be a lucrative business for Facebook given the potential of bidding for some words. Think about having “facebook.com/sports” or “facebook.com/computers”
What would Facebook get from it ?
Although some people say that they’d pay for the ability to get the old UI back, the following are some potential benefits for Facebook:
- Obviously, income by selling vanity urls.
- More search engine traffic from the people who search for these names i.e. “Demi Moore”
What Alternatives Do Users Have ?
- Subdomain: Simply create a “facebook.gokhandogan.com” subdomain and forward it to your actual facebook profile.
- Tiny-Fb: Go to tiny-fb and create your own FREE vanity url such as http://tiny-fb.com/gokhan
Question ?
Would you pay for it and if YES how much ?
Filed under: Business | Leave a Comment
Tags: "facebook business model", "facebook strategy", "facebook vanity url", "vanity url facebook", vanity url
Strengths Test Results
Recently I have taken the “VIA Signatura Strengths Questionnaire” which is a scientific research-based test that measures 24 character strengths. It takes nearly 40 minutes and includes 240 questions. Here are my results, what about yours?
Your Top Strength:
Industry, diligence, and perseverance
You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you “get it out the door” in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks.
Your Second Strength:
Humor and playfulness
You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.
Your Third Strength:
Social intelligence
You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.
Your Fourth Strength:
Creativity, ingenuity, and originality
Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.
Your Fifth Strength:
Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness
You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.
Filed under: Personal | 2 Comments
Tags: character test, self-awareness, top strength, via signature strengths questionnaire
Gökhan Dogan - ICT Entrepreneur 