OtherThanThat

This week marks the start of a New Year – it also marks the annual trek to Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. One of the largest trade shows in existence, this gathering will pull geeks of all stripes – from consumer electronics and software wonks to stereo and A/V addicts to automotive and mobile maniacs.
So of course I’m going.
This trip is my second as an Intel Insider, and so thanks to my host I’ll be scooting around Vegas and to an array of events. They’re also gracious enough to be opening their Upload Lounge to me on Thursday, January 7 for what portends to be a lively and amazing conversation.
From 3:00pm to 4:00pm Vegas time (which is Pacific) on Thursday, January 7, I’ll be settling in at the Intel Booth (Central Hall #7153) with social media powerhouses Brian Solis and Chris Brogan, Intel Fellow Genevieve Bell as well as California State Attorney General Candidate (and former Chief Privacy Officer of Facebook) Chris Kelly.
Why am I doing this? Simple.
In the last couple of years, the meteoric rise of social networks and social media platforms have blasted open the nature of what privacy means online – for individuals as well as brands. During 2009 we witnessed an array of issues from a mother posing as one of her daughter’s classmates on MySpace in order to bully the child, an act that resulted in the child committing suicide and the mother being charged. We’ve seen the FTC set parameters in place for bloggers, requiring a new level of accountability, disclosure and transparency.
And the list goes on.
With the New Year upon us and so many folks gathering in Vegas for this digital geekfest, I wanted to spark some discussion about the role government can/should/may play when it comes to security, privacy and identity on-line. How can governments better use technology to … well … be better governments? What can individuals do to protect themselves and how should we each be looking at our on-line presence and activity in this new decade? What about brands and businesses? How can they maintain a sense of security and protection over their livelihoods and should they be held to different standards than individuals now that people are also brands?
So that’s what we’re going to do. At 3:00pm on January 7, we’ll gather at Intel’s booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center for a casual meet-up and moderated discussion. Yes, it will be a bit of a panel, but the plan is to open the discussion and turn it into a true group debate with whomever shows up at the booth …
If you’re going to be in Vegas – come join us!
If you can’t be there in person but still want to participate, you have some options too!
Via blog: Comment HERE by 5:00pm Pacific Time on Weds., Jan. 6
On Twitter: Send an “@” message to @cathybrooks OR send a tweet with the hashtag #otherthanthat
On Ustream: We’ll have a live stream of the conversation here.