Chris Shipley has just walked onto the stage. She comments on the great energy in the room. "We are at the center of an exciting shift," she tells us, and in this shift the individual is becoming all powerful. She has struggle with terms to describe it but the right words have eluded her. Web 2.0, she tells us, has traction for the term. "It is a condition in the marketplace, and has become a trendy presence.
Chris wants to shift to a model that puts people at the center rather than the technology. We've moved beyond consumer generated content. Tools that allow us to customize & personalize our own experiences ar now coming into the workplace. This is not just consumer, but includes empowered individuals in the enterprise as well. User want usability and ease even when interacting with enterprise data. The enterprise, too is being driven by individual influence.
The theme for DEMO this year? The user is at center and consuer/enterprise definitions are getting less relevant.
Then she moves into the opening segment with 15 companies representing a mix of enterprise and consumer companies.