In a conversation with AAN, digital strategist Amy Webb discussed some of the tech trends likely to dominate 2011 and gave a preview of what's in store for attendees of
AAN's Web Conference in San Francisco.
"One of the most important trends we're seeing is mobile scanning," said Webb. "Using everything from two-dimensional barcodes to easy image scanning apps like Google Goggles, consumers will use their mobile phones to scan real-world objects to find deals and information virtually."
To illustrate this, her firm Webbmedia Group will be hosting an interactive scavenger hunt called
Ultimate QR at AAN's Web Conference.
"Basically, we're hiding codes all around the conference," she revealed. "Scan them and you might win a prize - caffeinated marshmallows, geeky T-shirts - or you might get a link to some of the best stories produced by AAN newspapers in 2010."
"We've specifically made
Ultimate QR open source, and
we want publishers and editors to steal our code.
Ultimate QR can be replicated just about anywhere to engage local readers."
In addition to hosting the QR game at the conference, Webb will discuss the Top 10 Tech Trends likely to affect the industry in 2011.
Specifically, she'll talk about dynamic curation, which is emerging as one of the biggest disruptors in publishing.
"Flipboard debuted this year as one of the most promising new technologies we've ever seen. It's an iPad application that automatically finds content consumers want to read, paginates it beautifully, and allows users to share what they find with others," she explained.
"News organizations everywhere are now trying to learn how to replicate the Flipboard experience for their own audiences."
Web Conference attendees interested in playing the
Ultimate QR game will have to register in advance by following the instructions on the
conference QR Game page here.
