S•cub3d Conference

Planning this conference has been a challenge! We expected the work load, but what we didn’t expect were the scheduling issues that arose from planning it so soon in 2010. In the end, to get the qualified speaker roster we want, and to deliver the best conference possible for the attendees, we’ll be postponing this conference until 2011 and doing some deep diving into the topics here in the meantime.

Additionally, with the change in scope and vision for the conference, Joe is going to be stepping down and concentrating on his day job – this means I’m seeking a new co-organizer (or several). Please get with me via email, Twitter or off line to volunteer. Meanwhile, if you put forth a speaker proposal and had not received a reply from us, I’m going to hold on to it and contact you as we go forward with planning with the results.

SEE UPDATE ON APRIL 4, 2010 POST

S•Cub3d Conference is a groundbreaking endeavor to get beyond the marketing and ROI trap of social media and into the deep inner workings of the social media, internet user and crowd psyche and sociology. To achieve that goal we have a very specific type of speaker in mind. Since this is a brand new field, the speaker pool is actually quite small, and we are OK with that – we’re looking at bleeding edge concepts with this conference.

We are accepting speaker proposals (unsolicited) until the end of April 2010, and are also actively soliciting proposals until the same deadline from people working in all aspects of the sociological, psychological and anthropological study of social media – so don’t be surprised if you are a rockstar in that field and receive an email or phone call from us!

Here is something that may surprise you: there will be no typical social media “gurus” (or topics) on our speaking roster! We want to give you the kind of deep analysis that will have impact on business, education and mental health online in a way that hasn’t been done before. In short, as a random example, while we adore Chris Brogan, you won’t hear him speak here. Sure Leslie herself has been delving into these theories in her work, it inspired her to seek out like minds like Joe and build this conference, but you won’t hear her speak here either – this isn’t yet another social media conference! It is a whole new area of study, and one that we are sure can help businesses, developers, entrepreneurs, educators, salespeople, early adopters, regular internet users, and more: focused completely on people in the trenches, studying and living this phenomena.

To that end, if you think you are a fit and don’t want to fill out the handy sidebar form to submit your proposal, you have until April 30, 2010 to follow the instructions below and submit your unsolicited proposal. Please note: we are getting a lot of DMs on Twitter, Facebook messages, emails and calls asking us for pointers on how to submit a winning proposal. Here’s a hint: part of the test is coming up with a groundbreaking idea in the area specified, and having the research trail and social media chops to back it up, without having to use training wheels. Are you up for the challenge? If so:

•••

Instructions to submit your speaker proposal to the groundbreaking new conference on the psychology and sociology of social media, S•Cub3d Conference (social media hashtag: #scub3d):

1) Must not exceed two pages
2) Must include a bio and/or CV (or link to same)
3) Can be submitted as a .doc or .pdf attachment or inline in email (no links please)
4) Deadline for proposal is April 30, 2010 (decision will be rendered by May 31, 2010)

Speaker parameters:

Currently, we plan to have each speaker present for 50 minutes including Q&A – this may change, depending on how the roster of speakers develops.
The room will be set up as a classroom, with tables and chairs and will have a microphone, podium, screen and projector for speaker use, as well as WiFi.
Please note that presentations and slides may be recorded for future use of the conference, and that a social media savvy audience may be recording presentations for their personal note taking use as well.

We look forward to receiving your proposal!

In an effort to offer a central location between New York and Massachusetts, the S•cub3d Conference will be held in CT.

UPDATE: As of April 2010, the status of the venue has changed. Stay tuned to the blog.

Noun
S: (n) anthropology (the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings)
WordNet Dictionary

Noun
S: (n) sociology (the study and classification of human societies)
WordNet Dictionary

One of the behind the scenes conversations of this conference has been the place of anthropology in the mix. I am of the firm belief that anthropology is the study of a people’s actions and culture in the past – their origins – with sociology being the present and future study of how humans interact as a society. Joe disagrees with me, and looking at recent posts from smart friends like Stowe Boyd’s recent dialogue on “publicy”, I thought I’d toss it out there and see what the consensus was on this.

Is there such a thing as “future” or “present” anthropology or is sociology the all-encompasing research model for present and future? We’re interested to hear your thoughts.

(And don’t forget, our call for speakers and sponsors are found in the sidebar and on the “Who” page in the top navigation bar. We’re getting tons of interesting speaker proposals already!)

We’re opening up this first-ever conference on the psychology and sociology of social media and new media to speakers and sponsors. We’re talking deep analysis, far beyond marketing ROI and surface business data. In fact, this conference isn’t about marketing at all, it’s about the mind, about behavior, about the people using this new technology and al of the flux in and around it. Digging deep into everything from generational behavior to psychological impact and the hive mind, and everything in between. Companies will probably find this research useful in marketing, to be sure, and should send their sales force and company heads, and educators should come create a think tank on next level depth, but we won’t be having your usual “social media gurus” on stage talking.

If you are someone who is not only using these tools, but digging deep into the social, psychological and sociological analysis of them, we want to hear from you about being a speaker. If you are a company who wants to get in on the cutting edge of this new frontier, we want to have you as a sponsor.

S•cub3d is the brainchild of myself (Leslie Poston, read more about me over here) and Joe Cascio (you may have heard his thoughts on Distributed Twitter, or heard his podcast Push My Follow).

While most people have been thinking of the next “thing” in social media, chasing shiny objects one after the other, seeking quick fixes without ever truly understanding the arena they are playing in, I’ve been delving into the deeper meaning of crowd sourcing, hive mind behavior, applying behavioral analysis practices to this online world and seeking to follow through and think forward to the sociology and psychology that truly drives us, online and offline. After a long phone conversation with Joe, we both realized that his work from the analysis and web development side meshed well with what I’ve been doing, and that he’d been thinking of the same need for in-depth analysis as I have. The thought of starting a conference was simultaneous! Figuring two heads were better than one, we came up with Social Science by the Seashore for 2010 (or the S•cub3d Conference).

We’ll both be writing for the blog as the conference plans progress, and are both vetting speakers, venues, and more to make it happen. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to get with either of us. See you in 2010!

Note: If you want to discuss the conference, the inclusive social media hashtag is #scub3d on all platforms, not just Twitter.