The 2010 Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) Previews event will be held during the SIIA Information Industry Summit on January 26, 2010 held in New York City.

A panel of industry leaders, including Newstex President Larry Schwartz, selected the companies who will speak at the 2010 SIIA Previews from a pool of exceptional applicants.  The SIIA Previews event is a fantastic opportunity for early stage technology companies to get in front of key industry professionals.

The companies presenting at the 2010 SIIA Previews are:

• Boardroom Insiders
• Brand Thunder
• DeepDyve
• HaraBara
• HearPlanet
• NetProspex
• ORLive
• Parse.ly
• Snac Inc.

You can follow the link to read more about the companies presenting at the 2010 SIIA Previews.

If you haven’t signed up for the SIIA Information Industry Summit yet, you can learn more about the event and register here.

Newstex has been named a finalist in three categories of the 2010 CODiE Awards from the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA):

• Best Content Aggregation Service
• Best Social Media Aggregation Service
• Best Video Content Aggregation Service

The members of the SIIA vote for award winners in 15 categories with winners to be announced at a special CODiE Awards Dinner on January 26, 2010 at the 2010 SIIA Information Industry Summit.  Follow the link to view the full list of CODiE Award finalists.

Ken Wasch, President of SIIA explains, “This is the twenty-fifth year we have recognized excellence through the CODiE Awards program, and the ninth year we have offered awards in the content categories.  The competition is tough, as many companies are looking to make their products stand out from the competition.  The innovations in the content industry shine through in the products selected as finalists, and we are very excited to see how the voting goes this year.”

Be sure to look for Newstex at the 2010 Software Industry Information Summit from January 26-27, 2010.  Newstex President Larry Schwartz will be attending the event, including the CODiE Awards dinner.  He’ll also be chairing the SIIA Previews event during the 2010 SIIA Information Summit where up and coming companies have the opportunity to present in front of key industry influencers.

Have you registered for the 2010 SIIA Information Industry Summit yet?

The annual Software & Information Association event is coming.  The 2010 SIIA Information Industry Summit will be held on January 26 and 27, 2010 in New York City.

Newstex President Larry Schwartz is attending and chairing the annual SIIA Previews event where up and coming companies have the opportunity to present in front of key industry influencers.

The 2010 CODiE Awards recognizing leaders in the content industry will also be presented during the event at a special dinner.  Newstex is a finalist in three categories — Best Content Aggregation Service, Best Social Media Aggregation Service and Best Video Content Aggregation Service!

You can register for the SIIA Information Industry Summit here.  Registration includes entrance to the CODiE Awards dinner.

The team from Newstex had a great time at the 2009 Blog World Expo.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Newstex booth!

Newstex hosted a giveaway at the booth where two lucky bloggers won iPod Touches!

Congratulations to the winners, Newstex Authoritative Content Blogger Dave Taylor from AskDaveTaylor.com and CJ Grisham from ASoldiersPerspective.us.  Check out the pictures of the lucky winners below!

Dave Taylor from AskDaveTaylor.com

Troy Steward of YouServed.com accepting for CJ Grisham of ASoldiersPerspective.us

The call for early-stage, innovative content and content technology companies to present pitches in front of an audience of industry experts and leaders at the 2010 Software Information Industry Association Summit’s SIIA Previews is open through November 18, 2009.

You can get more information about the SIIA Previews from Newstex President Larry Schwartz in the video below:

Chosen companies get the following:

• Your company CEO will provide a five-minute presentation at the Information Industry Summit and have five minutes of Q&A.
• A table-top exhibit display from which they can network with attendees. (Note: display area is available only during the 30-minute conference break immediately following their presentation).
• Promotion on the Information Industry Summit conference Web site and in the Summit program.
• 20-minute feedback session with the steering committee

Judges include:

• Larry Schwartz, President, Newstex
• Ed Keating, VP Content Division, SIIA
• Teri Mendelsohn, President, Mendelsohn Consulting
• Somak Chattopadhyay, VP, Greenhill SAVP
• Ed Reitler, Partner, Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt
• Randy Marcinko, CEO, MEI
• Claudia Flowers, VP, Business Development, Outsell, Inc.

Vator.tv is partnering with the SIIA Previews to add an interactive element to the SIIA Previews judging!

Here are the details to submit your information to participate in the Vator.tv competition (get complete details here):

• If you’re already on Vator, sign-in and click the “participate in this competition” button on the top right of this competition page.
• If you’re not on Vator yet, Register for a free account, andthen create a profile for your company. The more comprehensive your company profile is, the more likely to get votes, followers, ratings and be reviewed.  Once you create your company profile, then just click the “participate in this competition” button on the top right of this competition page.

How to win:

• The VatorTV community will vote on the companies between October 21 and November 18 and help the judges select 20 semi-finalists. We encourage you to get as many people as possible to vote for you on the VatorTV site!

Get out the vote on Vator:

• More votes on Vator will drive up your chances of winning. The popular vote on Vator will be considered a significant factor in the judging process.
• Additionally, the criteria the judges will use include: novelty/innovation; commercial viability and media presence.
• Companies with a larger follower base and solid testimonies will also grab our attention.
• Get out the vote by using the hash tag #SIIA10 in your Vator and Twitter posts.

For more information about eligibility, the event, and so on visit the SIIA Previews site.

Newstex President Larry Schwartz is leading a session about cloud computing at the Association of Information and Dissemination Centers (ASIDIC) Fall 2009 Meeting to be held on October 13-15 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Joining Larry on the panel are:

• Michele Kimpton, Chief Business Officer, DuraSpace
• Steve O’Keeffe, Founder and President, Meritalk
• George Landau, President, NewsEngin

About the Panel

Most people have at least heard about “cloud computing” and how the cloud will be revolutionary in terms of how we use and interact with computers, our content and the world-wide web. This panel will take the discussion of cloud computing to the next level, identifying who’s the new who in cloud computing and also discuss how new enterprises or companies are changing/updating their business model(s) to support the cloud. Additionally, the panel will discuss whether this type of computing will be relevant or applicable for government use. Lastly, they will address the financial implications of adopting such a model and the associated ROI’s.

About the Event

The ASIDIC Fall Meeting is all about change.  Panelists and attendees will focus on:

• The opportunities found in Cloud Computing
• Why Innovation is still important
• Why you must Integrate your content into the workflow of your customers
• The ramifications of eGovernment to your business
• Why you should (or not) care about Social Media Platform

You can learn more about the event here.

Newstex will be at the Blog World and New Media Expo again this year.  This is the event for bloggers and online publishers, and we hope to see you there!

The 2009 BlogWorld & New Media Expo is taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, beginning with the exclusive “Social Media Business Summit” conference on October 15th and continuing with the Blog World & New Media Expo and Conference October 16th-17th.

This will be Newtsex’s third year attending and exhibiting at Blog World and we are creating some cool giveaways for Newstex Bloggers – so please drop by the Newstex exhibit and say hello!

If you haven’t registered for the 2009 Blog World & New Media Expo, don’t worry, because there is still time.  To make things even better, Newstex is offering a special 20% discount off of your registration.  You just need to use the discount code, NTVIP, when you register.

Save 20% off of Your 2009 Blog World & New Media Expo Registration Courtesy of Newstex

Follow this link to register for Blog World and save 20% by using this special Newstex VIP code – NTVIP.

See you in Vegas!

Newstex President Larry Schwartz spoke at the SIIA NetGain Conference this week about cloud computing and how Newstex leverages the cloud to support its business model.  He also took time to do a video interview after his presentation at the conference. 

Think you don’t understand cloud computing?  Check out the interview below where Larry sums up the key benefits of cloud computing in less than 90 seconds!

Today, Newstex has announced that we are partnering with LexisNexis in a strategic alliance to deliver Newstex Video On Demand content to LexisNexis customers via the LexisNexis research platforms. 

From the press release:

“Having LexisNexis as the first launch distributor for Newstex Video On Demand offers a great opportunity to continue to build on the successful alliance that has already earned both companies a joint SIIA Codie Award for Best Blog Aggregation Service,” said Newstex President Larry Schwartz.  “Customers are looking for information from a variety of sources, and LexisNexis, as a leader in information services, continually demonstrates its understanding of those needs by embracing new forms of content and delivery such as Newstex Video On Demand.”

Follow the link to read the complete Newstex press release.

LexisNexis is also presenting at the SIIA NetGain 2009 this week in San Fransico, where the topic of discussion will be about the new offering of Newstex Video On Demand content through LexisNexis.

Earlier this week, I attended the Custom Content Conference in Miami, Florida where David Meerman Scott (author of numerous books including World Wide Rave and The New Rules of Marketing and PR) was the keynote speaker.

David discussed the growth of the social web and how critical it is for publishers, businesses, and individuals to get involved and connect with people around the world in order to share ideas and spread information. 

During his speech, David provided seven basic rules of social media as follows:

Rule 1: Nobody cares about your products (except you)

This is something I discuss at length in my copywriting book for small and mid-size business owners (Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps).  People care about themselves and want to know how you can help make their lives easier, solve their problems, and so on.  David reminds us to speak in a language our audience uses.  Again, this is something I constantly advocate — speak with your audience, not at them.

Rule 2: No coercion required

David made a great point here that I love.  I am always very blunt about the fact that I do not like over-the-top, hard-sell, copywriting and marketing messages.  David validated that preference by telling the conference attendees that the Back button is the third most used Web button.  Why?  Because we’re sending people where they don’t want to go.  In simplest terms, don’t try to force a circular peg into a square hole.  It’s a waste of time and money and can do more harm than good in terms of negative word-of-mouth backlash.

Rule 3: Lose control

David provided a great example to show just how effective allowing your audience to take control of your content, business, brand, etc. can be when he discussed the Grateful Dead — the most popular touring band in history.  How did they do it?  They let the audience take control of the music by allowing anyone to record the band’s live concerts and distribute copies to anyone they want.  The music spread, and more and more people heard it and said, “I want to go see that band.”  The rest is history and Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead have been Truckin’ to the bank ever since. 

David’s number one piece of advice related to losing control — don’t put a gate on your content.  For example, if you write an ebook or white paper, don’t require registration or payment in order for people to access it.  David says you’ll see 20-50 times more downloads of that content if you remove the gate.

Rule 4: Put down roots

This is a classic marketing rule, which David clearly links to the social web.  In simplest terms, participate in online places where your audience already is.  It’s that easy.

Rule 5: Create triggers that encourage people to share

David told the audience at the conference that the key to this rule is understanding your audience’s “buyer personas”.  In other words, you need to do your demographic legwork first to get an idea of what your audience wants to hear, what they need, and what words and messages will motivate them to take action and join the conversation by sharing information and spreading ideas.

Rule 6: Point the world to your virtual doorstep

David suggests using the free content provided in Rule 3 as bait and then provide something else of value with a gate in order to collect email addresses, information, etc. 

Rule 7: Play nice

David reminded the conference attendees that there are written and unwritten rules of social media, and if you’re going to participate you should know them, follow them, and play nice — just as you did on the playground as a child.