• Tuesday 28 July 2009
  5:30pm - 8:00pm

• Venue: Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Level 28, Majestic Centre
• Twitter feeds: #SocialUPnz
• Flickr tag: SocialUPnz

#SocialUPnz the UP Social Media Event

With Social Media becoming ever more pervasive in everyday activities, Unlimited Potential in association with Catalyst90 and IBM brings you two thought-provoking presentations and discussions that will examine this phenomenon and its various pros and cons in both commercial and individual contexts.

This event will be accompanied by FREE pizza & beer and is, of course, FREE to attend. Space is limited so RSVP here now!

Chris Sparshott: Social Software for Growth and Prosperity

How do organisations gain proven value from social software tools? Chris Sparshott will facilitate a discussion around the value of social software tools for customer interactions, employee interactions and the value of individual participation and use of these tools. This discussion will include examining some of the tools that are free and not so free to deliver this value.

If time permits Chris will touch on how collaboration is evolving within 3D constructs such as OpenSim and how IBM is leveraging these capabilities to extend and enhance existing products.

Chris Sparshott is the IBM New Zealand spokesperson for Web 2.0, Collaboration, SaaS and Cloud computing.  Although he has worked for IBM for 10+ years, you will struggle to find proof of his blue suit wearing activities. He is passionate about social software tools and enjoys mentoring executives and start-ups on how to gain value from them. He lives in Onehunga, Auckland with his wife and young family.

Ben Kepes: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, or The End of the Corporation and Why Social Software Might Just Save It

Never one to shy away from a fight, and in an attempt to bite multiple hands-that-feed, Ben Kepes will attempt, in a five minute time frame, to discount economic theories built up over the past century or so about the power of the corporation.

Coming from a history of never having worked for a large corporation means Ben is completely unqualified to prophesise a revolution and the speaker following on from him will no doubt pour cold water on his central thesis... but all's fair, as they say, in love and war...

Is social media, as some surmise, merely a front for the Russian mafia or CIA to steal our identities, or is there in fact a benefit to the mutitudinous tools being evangelised by the digerati via howling din and friendfeed?

Ben Kepes is an Entrepreneur, Consultant, Evangelist, Journalist, Blogger (www.diversity.net.nz) and board member. His business experience includes a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a commentator, he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and as an extensive blogger. Waipara, North Canterbury but spends most of his time in the Cloud (http://www.cloudave.com/).