Last week I was honored to be a twitter moderator for the Social TV Event.  It was put on by one of my clients, User Insight, and coined as a virtual conference, where attendees were able to watch a live feed from anywhere in the world.

The idea was brilliant for their business and the content was even better!  “This is the first event of its kind to virtually engage all who are interested in social TV, facilitating a unique dialogue about how, why and when social TV will change the television industry as we know it today,” said Kevin O’Connor, president of User Insight. “After spending nine months observing and talking with TV watchers and immersing ourselves in the social TV industry, User Insight is excited to share the findings from our in-depth consumer research and provide unprecedented access to those who are diligently working to be first to market with social TV products and services.”

The Business Perspective
It can be really hard for businesses to share their process and help potential clients understand the real value of what you do.  User Insight invested in themselves and put together their own study.  It was a big investment, which I think will have a huge payoff.  By just viewing the event and the material they were able to present, you can really see the passion behind their research and how valuable it can be to product developers.

They were also true to their culture by using cutting edge technology to present the event AND highlighting other cutting edge technology that are marrying social media and television.  Brilliant!

Social TV Perspective
This is where I learned even more!  What some are saying was the best tweet of the event, one of the twitter MC’s, @desireescales said this: “Whoever figures out social television will be the next Steve Jobs of their generation. #socialtvevent”

This is an intriguing emerging market – the marriage between social media and tv.  User Insight’s research was able to provide developers with insight into the different personas.  They were able to show what motivates different types of users.  Product developers can take that information to maximize their potential.  (Talk about value-add!)

We were exposed to some new cool technologies!

• Watchitoo is a leading interactive live streaming platform. With Watchitoo embedded on a website, the host of an event can stream live or recorded HD video, or any multimedia content, to thousands of viewers via the Watchitoo platform. (The platform used for the event!)
• TweePlayer is the worlds first Social-Media DVR. Veiwers can watch a TV show online days or years later and still read and add messages synchronized to the moments in the show they are watching.
• SnappyTV is a new service that allows you to share the best moments from live TV and share on Twitter and Facebook.  (You can view clips of the event on their site.)
• Yahoo! Connected TV delivers a personally relevant, Internet-enhanced television experience that complements the more traditional “lean-back” TV viewing experience.

Cool stuff, right?  We also heard from a ton of experts from this arena on their thoughts about the future of social media and TV.  We all know it is an emerging industry with new technologies behind every door.  I also see this from the business perspective and think it is a HUGE opportunity for small business owners to create something HUGE.  They just need to be smart about their investments and keep their hands on the pulse of their users.

What’s your next big idea?  How are you going to come to market?  What’s your advice for product developers?  I love it all and want to hear your thoughts.  It’s another great representation of bringing together creatives and business.  So, are you the next Steve Jobs?