Next Web, a Dutch cow and Geek Girls
Hello Outriders!
This week for the podcast I have been out and about near and far to meet people working in technology.
First up The took place in Amsterdam last week and a whole league of coders, developers, start-ups and industry leaders were in attendance to discuss the state of the web now and it’s future.
One of the challenges at the event was the Startup Rally where a set of sparky startup tech companies presented to a panel of judges. Another good indicator of a start-up tech business that should do well is to ask a large audience.
Throughout the event, attendees were able to vote for their favourite application or service at the conference and the winner of two awards was a live translation service called.
I had a quick chat with one of the founders. There was a lot happening at the event, but how to explain the presence of a cow at a tech conference?
ÌýBasically to add a little fun to the event, a famous Dutch cow was invited and bets were laid as to where she might poop. It sounds strange because it is a bit strange, but , whose stage name for the event was Klara, was very welcome and most who met her were delighted by her charm. I had a chat with the famous cow’s owner.Ìý
Naturally at a large tech event, you’d expect to see something from a big social media platform. Facebook was of course there. If you use Facebook you may think of it more as a place for chatting with your friends, swapping updates and pictures or jokes.
But Facebook is fast becoming one of the places where businesses and brands would like to be. The platform can drive a lot of people to online shops and services.
, is Facebook’s director for platform partnerships in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and I asked him what what he was up to and how this is related to the growth of business.
From the beautiful city of Amsterdam to the innovative East end of London. I came back from one conference to catch up with another. At the weekend a Geek Girl Meetup was taking place all day on Sunday at the Google Campus.
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Not all of the talks at the meet-up were specifically about gender. is a java developer for a financial exchange in London and she gave several talks at the event.
The girl geek movement has seen a great deal of growth whether it stems from Women in Tech, Girl Geek Dinners or other organisations that support females of the technical persuasion.
I met two ladies at the meetup who were not only having a great time, but also planned to take the format home to different parts of the world.
Well, that’s all I could squeeze into this rather busy week for us on Outriders, but as ever, it’s you I would like to hear more from. If you’re making something digital we need to know about or you’ve seen something online and you’d like to hear more, then drop me a line and let me know.
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