Highlights from the PSFK 2010 Conference

The recent PSFK 2010 conference in New York has come to a close and even though I couldn't make it in person (determined to go next time!) I have been keeping a close eye on the key speakers and topics discussed...

Below are some of my favourites:

Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai



He gives a comprehensive overview of what drove them to start Foursquare and what their overarching goals are for the platform and where they envisage the future to be.

One of the insights I found fascinating is that their company goal is to use software to change peoples behaviour.
They introduced game mechanics with the central thought ‘can we turn life into a game?’ alongside ‘always doing better’ stimuli which certainly seems to be working.

He discusses feedback and response to some of the badges they have created such as:

• The Gymrat badge offered to people who check in at a gym 20x or more in one month – people are becoming healthier and more active in the gym just because they want to earn the badge

• The Swarm badge, where 50 or more people need to check in at the same location within the same time period for them to all receive the badge – a flurry of house parties, flash mobs and specific ‘Swarm’ events have taken place as people try to earn it

He goes on to describe the potential future implications of Foursquare to be that we could all become more aware of ourselves and our behaviour by understanding our social, health and work habits via check ins. Apparently people have even been checking into moods and emotions!

Avner Ronen - founder of Boxee



A very informative look into the future of TV including content consumption habits, operating systems and that the future of TV comes down to the fact that 'there is no TV' it's just another connected screen as opposed to a standalone medium.