Phillippe and I just returned from the RTWS hosted by Readwriteweb.com. All said and done it was a great experience and a fine example of an un-conference. We had the opportunity to gather around the table with folks from Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and many other current innovators in the world of the Real-Time Web.
Our biggest takaway - we have something special. While 90% of the emphasis, interest, and development of new tools and technology is caught up in analyzing and "making meaning" of user generated content, we were surprised by the fact we were the only company asking "What does this mean for user experience and the next evolution of the web?" Our upcoming product, Black Tonic, is not just another way to filter data. It is a whole new way of conversation and experience sharing via the web.
Here's my rough outline of notes for my presentation at the conference:
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Defining "Real Time Web"
by David Price, Black Tonic
It's easy to get lost in the quantitative, technical meaning of "Real-Time", which always leads to discussions in terms of speed, latency, defining instantaneous, etc... Basically this ends up with some kind of definition that includes, "Real-Time Web is fast."
But there is another option. Instead of examining and defining qualitatively from a technological perspective, we can observe it's qualitative effect (i.e. what it produces) and whom it affects in a given context - in this case human beings interacting with a web-browser . Examining it from this angle considers the players involved and the content and mode of content experienced.
For a specific example, "What does real-time mean in the context of a social network?" Answer: There is content being shared amongst individuals. And for content to be experienced in real-time, there must be the awareness by the individuals of having no barriers between them. No time delays, no filtering, no mediation, same context, etc.
Definition
"Conversation that takes place amongst two or more individuals sharing the same space and time via a web-browser."
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References
http://www.blacktonic.com/blog/2009/august/21/experience-sharing-xs-wher...
