Press Room
Panel: Life in a Connected World
Moderated by Tom Patterson, CEO of Fairfax County-based Internet consulting firm Command Information, this panel explored how technology is changing the way that people interact and the ways that businesses can leverage that change.
Panelists Evan Burfield (CEO of Tysons Corner-based Synteractive), Michael Murray (AOL) and Stephen Oronte (Command Information) said that social networking sites such as MySpace, FaceBook and LinkedIn are just the beginning of new kinds of connections.
For example, thanks to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), more and more devices will be linked to the Internet and relay information to users. Some manufacturers already are putting communication-enabled devices in everything they make, Oronte said.
“The Internet will go from something you are connected to to something you will be part of,” Patterson said.
Consumers and businesses will realize the value of the new types of information and data, but only companies use the technology wisely and securely, Murray said.
In response to a question from the audience, Burfield said that some technologies to this point have isolated people – such as computer games that teens play alone. “These new technologies are reconnecting people,” he said.
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Top: Tom Patterson; Bottom, left to right: Evan Burfield, Michael Murray and Stephen Oronte. All photos by Kaveh Sardari. These and many other high-resolution images from the National Conference on the Creative Economy may be viewed and purchased from www.sardari.com.
