Jennifer Preston, social media editor of The New York Times, opened the sessions with an explanation of how social media are changing the way news are created and spread. Preston said that twitter, Youtube and specialized blogs are a basic tool for journalists, since user generated content is taking an increasing role in the generation of news. Another important change is that news do not die when printed on paper or issued in screens, since the Internet allows the stories to continue being updated.

One of the most expected speeches of the meeting came from Tuenti’s founder Zaryn Dentzel, an American entrepreneur based in Spain. He spoke about the importance of privacy on social networks, an area in which Facebook is not being very protective. Tuenti considers this issue as one of the keys to achieve a high level of confidence and a basis of the company, which complies with European regulation on this respect.

Dentzel also announced a new tool in the platform, Tuenti Sitios, which integrates shops, restaurants, bars and services rated by users. “We think that the Internet should be local and focused on everyday users”, explained Dentzel.

This is an interesting interview of Preston:

Good practices for community managers:

1. Roles of a community manager. There is a document that could be inspiring.
2. How to start? Goals, monitoring, metrics…
3. Tools: social networking, information management, analysis…
4. Strategy: which department, online/offline…
4. Measurement
5. Problems found: digital ego, behaviour rules & manners, increase number of followers, make visible Facebook’s updates

- Good Job: Independent and revolutionary website, done by users that want to know the world of work through the voice of those who belong to it. In a completely anonymous way you can rate your company, tell your experience, compared it with others and find out where are the better places to work.

- Askaro: is a hyperlocal site to meet needs and share information in the nearest field: the neighborhood or workplace. The idea is simple, you can ask a question on a specific location putting it on a map to see if someone who knows the area gives you an useful and disinterested answer.

- Submate: Meet, discover, share. Every day. On your way! You just have to tell SubMate your subway trips: station in, station out, and an approximate timing. Around your trips, you’ll discover cool new people, the familiar strangers you see every day! Discover everything happening along your commutes: concerts, happy hours, restaurant reviews.

- Minube: Minube is a travel community for travel’s lovers, that allows users to get inspirations to decide their destinations, plan trips and share all their travel experiences.

Which is your favorite? Remember that people coming to nonick will be voting.

JESS3
Jesse Thomas and JESS3’s story kicked off in back in 2000. “Busboys and Poets, a restaurant in Washington, was one of my first freelance clients. I pitched my ideas to owner Andy Shallal and landed the account. From literally before the restaurant existed, I consulted with Andy and gave him key creative input. I helped come up with the name, designed their logo, mural, signage, and built the website. Partnering with Andy Shallal was another very important experience in my career. We still do lots of work for Busboys and I am their Creative Director”, Jesse Thomas said in an interview with Technosailer.

Recently, JESS3 has developed interactive websites and did the branding for big companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, MySpace, Classmates.com, NASA, C-SPAN, Dow Jones / Wall Street Journal, Marriott, Huffington Post, American Express, Pepsi, Nestle, Pfizer, Discovery Channel or Mashable. JESS3 is more than just a creative interactive agency, Jesse Thomas wants people to know how passionate they are about design and technology. “We truly put our blood, sweat, and tears into this business”.

The State of The Internet
The State of the Internet is a funny video created by Jesse for the 2010 AIGA conference in Baltimore. The video is a visual summary of the growth of the Internet from its inception up until the present day.
During the five-minute video you can get an idea of the truly exorbitant figures that are handled on the Internet and how in just a few years it has become an indispensable means of communication. So indispensable that it is difficult to imagine life without it.

Lately she’s found a new passion: producing independent films, which takes up all her little spare time. She was still studying linguistics and human sexuality at San Francisco State University when her hobby, volunteering for Burning Man, evolved into a full-time job.

Burning Man’s community extends far beyond the week of the event each year, and many of its participants engage in year-round efforts to celebrate and share the Burning Man culture. This effort and the popularity of the event have perpetuated widely online (although Burning Man engages in almost no proactive public relations efforts) and the organization and community have long been present in the social media space.

Andie has managed Burning Man’s communication with that community through social media & technology tools for ten years, keeping pace with the development of the social web and helping balance Burning Man’s digital policies with its core principles and values as a culture.

Burning Man
The Burning Man festival takes place in the middle of the Nevada dessert. A vast plain, swept by sandstorms, drought and heat. But precisely at this site, every year, an entire city of fifty thousand people arises. For one week, the Black Rock Nevada dessert is a Mad Max-like world dedicated to community, self-expression and self reliance. Burning Man is a festival where giant art, naked people, bartering, trance music, futuristic cars, light shows and conflagrations all come together. After the festival they all depart, having left no trace whatsoever.

Once landed in Bilbao, travelling the 12 kilometres isn’t a real obstacle. For a fee of less than 2 euros, there are buses to Bilbao every twenty minutes and the trip takes around fifteen or twenty minutes, depending on the traffic. The bus stops at Plaza Moyua (centre) and Termibús, the bus terminal of Bilbao. At the Termibús there is a subway and tram station and there are taxis to take you to your hotel.

For those who don’t wish to wait twenty minutes, or just aren’t fans of public transport, a taxi service can also fulfil your need. The price of a taxi to downtown Bilbao is around 30 euros. Both buses and taxis are located in front of the airport.

For people flying with Ryanair, Santander is the nearest airport. Although often described as a Bilbao airport, it’s actually located in Cantabria at approximately 100 kilometres of Bilbao. Luckily, Alsa runs a good bus service from the airport to Bilbao; bus tickets cost 10 euros, or only 6 euros if you book in advance via their website. The airports of San Sebastian and Vitoria only cover domestic flights. You can also use the airport of Biarritz (150 kms. away from Bilbao).

Hotels
Once you have arrived in Bilbao, you will need a place to stay.
* Five stars: Hotel Carlton, Domine, López De Haro, Meliá
* Four stars: Zenit Bilbao, Hesperia Bilbao
* Three stars: Abba Parque Hotel, NH Hotel de Deusto
* Two stars: Sirimiri, Bilbi

EITB and Nonick conference

The conference will be held at EITB headquarters, Calle Capuchinos de Basurto 2. The metro, which covers most areas of Bilbao, has a stop at San Mamés (Termibús), from where it’s a three minute walk to EITB.

Sightseeing

Of course Bilbao, and the Basque Country in general, has more to offer than just the nonick conference. It would be an absolute waste not to spend some time outside the walls of EITB.

Anyone talking about Bilbao automatically associates it with the Guggenheim. Currently, the museum is hosting a major solo exhibition devoted to the art of Anish Kapoor, one of the most influential sculptors working today. However, aside from the Guggenheim, there are plenty of other attractions such as the Fine Arts Museum and the wonderful Casco Viejo with its small streets, authentic mansions, Plaza Nueva, small shops plus a surplus of bars and restaurants.

For quality shopping, the Gran Via is the place to be. The Plaza Moyua, Abando and the neighbouring streets play host some important names in fashion. For more information, visit the Bilbao Tourism website.