If you can’t view this video, check it out over on my YouTube channel.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Did I leave anything out? What are some of your tips for surviving CES?

Last year we had a great group of people who I learned so much from in just a short amount of time.  If you’re able to attend, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Want to know who else is stopping by to speak?  Check out the packed schedule below:

Wednesday, January 6 LVCC, North Hall, N256
(event runs from 8:30 AM to 12:15 PM)

8:30-9:00 a.m. “Real-Time Social Networking” – An opportunity to network with the speakers and delegates attending Social Media Jungle.

9:00-9:10 a.m. Welcome to the Jungle, Jeff Pulver

9:10-9:30 a.m. Consumer Marketing in the State of NOW, Jeff Pulver

9:30-9:45 a.m. Social Media Reputation, Dave Taylor

9:45-9:55 a.m. Brand Engagement in Social Media, Chris Rauschnot

9:55-10:20 a.m. Listen & Hear, Jeffrey Sass

10:20-10:30 a.m. Building Trust in Social Media, Eric Weaver

10:30-10:50 a.m. What’s Next in Social Media? Robert Scoble

10:50-11:00 a.m. Social Media ROI, Ben Grossman

11:00-11:10 a.m. Social Media Reciprocity, Warren Whitlock

11:10-11:25 a.m. Digital Presence in the NOW and Beyond, Dean Landsman and Dean Meyers.

11:25-11:35 a.m. Communication Strategies for Social Business, Susan Etlinger

11:35-11:45 a.m. Leveraging the Livestream in Consumer Marketing, Kevin Sablan

11:45-11:55 a.m. Social Media Lessons Learned during 2009, Justin Levy

11:55-12:15 p.m. Speaker Q & A (I think)

I hope to see you there and look forward to learning from you!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Since I’ll be traveling over the next few weeks I figured my time to actually write will be hard, especially while at SXSW.  So, I have decided to do a lot more videos over the next few weeks.  I hope you enjoy

What are your thoughts?  Do you agree that face-to-face interaction is important?  Why?

• You leave your house and stop at the gas station.  Since you’re paying with credit card you never go inside the store and therefore never have an interaction with the clerk.
• Next, you stop at the bank to deposit a couple checks, check your balance and withdraw some cash.  You do this all from the ATM.  Alas, no interaction.
• You run across the street to the grocery store.  You go inside and grab one of the personal scanners.  As you walk through the store you scan your items and bag them.  You head over to the meat counter, punch your order into the touchscreen and a few minutes later grab your turkey and cheese from a slot where they placed the items when the computerized system called your number.  When you’re done shopping you head to self-checkout, dock your personal scanner, swipe your credit card and are done.  No need to have personal interaction.
• You plan on staying in tonight so, while still at the grocery store, you head over to the Redbox movie vending machines.  Again, a swipe of your credit card and out pops this week’s 2 new releases that you really wanted to see.  Catching on yet?  Yep, no personal interaction.
• When you get out to your car you remember that you brought that pesky bag of coins that have been laying around the house.  You head back into the grocery store and hit up the Coinstar machine.  Dump in your coins, choose to receive an Amazon gift card, and off you go.
• Next stop, recycling some bottles from the Sunday football routine.  Nope, no need for personal interaction here either.  Pop your bottles in, grab your receipt and off you go.  You’ll save them for the next time you run through self-checkout at the grocery store.
• You remember that you need some cleaning supplies, some pet food and a few other things.  Time to hit up Walmart.  The biggest retailer in the entire world.  Surely you’ll have some personal interaction here right?  Nope.  You grab your items, head to self-checkout, sign the little digital reader and off you go.
• After a tiring couple hours you head home, log into Amazon and buy a couple books you’ve been really wanting with that gift card you got from Coinstar.

In that scenario there was no need for any personal interaction yet you were very productive and probably spent the entire morning running around.  While this is great from a productivity standpoint, is it hurting the chances for us to have meaningful face-to-face interactions?  I think so.  Furthermore, this isn’t even taking into consideration what these technologies are doing by reducing the workforce, increasing the bottom line of these corporations, and the many other factors that come into play with implementations of more and more advanced technologies into the consumer space.  Granted, I prefer to use these technologies as they allow me to stay highly productive and move at my speed, not the speed of others around me.  But, it is interesting to look at from a higher level, more global standpoint.

This is another reason why I am in love with social media.  What I didn’t add to the above schedule is that after all that, you come home, log into Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and GTalk and have 50+ meaningful conversations with friends from all over the world.  However, there is something about face-to-face interaction that is very important.  It is one of the things I enjoy the most about going to conferences, meetups and other networking events.  There are some things that can only be gotten from face-to-face interactions.  Maybe that is one of the reasons why I enjoy this social space so much….because it is social and there are less and less opportunities for me to have meaningful face-to-face discussions with the gas clerk, sales rep, movie store employee, etc.

What’s say you?

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Photo by: Litandmore

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The official description of Social Media Jungle on the CES event page is:

“The Social Media Jungle at the 2009 International CES brings to light how the advent of social media is changing the way we work and live. Sessions include state-of-the-industry updates and a candid look at how social media disrupts the workplace by empowering companies to lower burn rates. Plus, learn how companies can motivate consumers through social media to drive product sales without increasing costs.”

Here is a complete list of speakers and topics:

8:30 – 9:00: Real-Time Social Networking
9:00 – 9:20: Welcome to the Jungle, Jeff Pulver
9:20 – 9:40: Navigating the Social Media Seas, Chris Brogan
9:40 – 10:00 – Industry Perspective & Update
10:00 – 10:20 – Industry Perspective & Update
10:20 – 10:40 – What to Look for in Social Media Platforms in 2009, Robert Scoble
10:40 – 11:00 – Return on Social Media Investment, Ben Grossman
11:00 – 11:20 – [ break ]
11:20 – 11:40 – Learn, Baby, Learn: Turn Your Social Media Addiction Into An Asset!, Jeffrey Sass
11:40 – 12:00 – Social Media Principles, Chris Heuer
12:00 – 12:20 – Naked PR: What Marketers Need to Know in the Age of Social Media, Susan Etlinger
12:30 – 2:00 [Lunch Break]
2:00 – 2:30 – How Reporters Have to Think of Themselves as an Entrepreneur and a Publisher Using their Company as a Platform, Daniel Honigman
2:30 – 2:50 – New Media Strategy in Challenging Times: Conquering the 3 Screen World: Dean Landsman and Howard Greenstein
2:50 – 3:10 – How Small Business can use Inbound Marketing/Social Media to Help Increase Their Business, Justin Levy
3:10 – 3:30 – The Convergence of CE and Social Media, Jeremy Toeman
3:30 – 3:50 – Managing Your Reputation While Being Genuine and Authentic Online, Dave Taylor
3:50 – 4:10 – How to Botch an Agency Briefing (No Matter How Cool You Think Your Product Is), David Berkowitz
4:10 – 4:20 [break]
4:20 – 4:40 – How Trust Drives Transactions During a Down Economy, Eric Weaver
4:40 – 5:00 – Leveraging Social Media for the Social Good, Rebecca Bollwitt
5:00 – 5:20 – How New Media is Changing the World, Brian Reich
5:20 – 5:40 – Transforming Unemployed BabyBoomers via Social Media, Carlos Hernandez
5:40 – 5:45 – Wrap up

To signup to atted Social Media Jungle or for more information, please visit the Social Media Jungle at CES event page.  The cost of this event is $295 in advance and $395 on-site.  In addition to the actual event, there will also be a meetup later that night…and what better place to have a meetup then on the Las Vegas Trip!

If you are able to come, please please please let me know either in the comments below or on Twitter (@justinlevy)!

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Network Solutions is hosting the Solutions Stars Video Conference to explain to small business and entrepreneurs how the Internet can benefit their businesses.  This conference will focus on nine content areas:

• Building Web Presence
• The Social Opportunity
• Start with Listening
• Strategy Drives Outreach
• You Need Social Networks
• To Blog or Not to Blog
• Visibility Through Search
• Rising Above the Noise
• Time Demands

While the fact that there is a free conference which you can watch from the comfort of your office chair or couch is cool enough, take a look at a short list of some of the presenters:

• Tim Ferriss, Best Selling Author of Four Hour Work Week
• Darren Rowse, Author, ProBlogger
• Chris Brogan, Vice President of Strategy, CrossTech Media
• Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
• Brian Solis, Author of PR 2.0, CEO of FutureWorks
• Lee Odden, CEO of TopRankMarketing.com
• Jason Falls, Blogger, Social Media Explorer
• David Alston, Vice President of Marketing, Radian6
• Scott Monty, Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager, Ford Motor Company
• Rohit Bhargava, Author of Personality Not Included
• Guy Kawasaki, Co-Founder, All-Top

If you don’t know who any of these guys are then spend some time going through each of the above links.  Every single person on the list of 32 is someone who you should be familiar with!

What makes this so interesting for me is that the format reminds me of the Pixelated Conference Series that I participated in at the beginning of the month, thanks to Chris Brogan, Mitch Joel and Bryan Eisenberg.  I will definitely be tuning in on Wednesday, will you?  If not then you’ll be missing out a great opportunity to learn a lot about business, marketing and social media in just a couple of hours.  Did I forget to mention that it’s FREE?!?!

To attend all you have to do is return to the Solutions Stars Video Conference site at 1p EST on Wednesday.

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One of the sessions which generated the most buzz was hosted by Mark Roberge and Peter Caputa of HubSpot as well as David Hurlbrink of Landslide.  The discussion focused on how to develop an inbound marketing strategy and how to utilize a CRM/SFA system to properly manage your sales funnel.

The slideshows from all of the presentations are available courtesy of the speakers and the WBJ.

Other blogs about yesterday’s event:

Peter Caputa: LiveBlogging about Blogging at the Worcester Business Journal Sales Summit
Rick Roberge: WBJ Sales Summit Feedback
Laura Briere: Our Own Personal Superstar
Betty Do: Sales Leadership Advice: Stop Selling!

The one-day event turned out to be a great event which was packed with a lot of information and provided for an excellent networking opportunity.  This event is definitely not one you want to miss next year!

Thanks to all those I had the chance to speak with yesterday and I look forward to talking with you in the future!