Technology Media Conference hosted at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology

By Danelle Milward, 2nd year PR student

CPUT’s 10th annual media conference explored technology and the new media. Held on Saturday October 18, the conference attracted tech-savvy speakers on the cutting edge of new media.

“Technology impacts on our lives in all areas; sometimes changing things, sometimes keeping things the same, but improving speed or accessibility. It is important that we use the conference to explore the effectiveness of technology commercially and socially,” said Rifqah Abrahams, junior lecturer: media studies and supervising lecturer for the media conference.

“Keep it simple and don’t complicate things,’’ said Melissa Attree, guest speaker who specialises in social media, branding and educating as many people as possible about online communication. She focused on the importance of listening, collaborating and engaging with customers online in order to best present your brand.

Charl Norman, 24-year old internet entrepreneur and operations manager for Blueworld Communities, a leading social networking technology company, spoke about social networking – the trends and developments around the world and in South Africa.

“A recent study found that 58% of people trust people like themselves, not CEOs and marketing managers,” said Tim Shier, marketing manager at Africa’s largest full service online marketing agency.

Shier introduced the audience to the field of online reputation management and the free online eMarketing resource, eMarketing – the essential guide to online marketing. This textbook, developed by Quirk, will be updated every 6 months and can be downloaded from the Quirk eMarketing website, a great resource for students and professionals alike. For those that love the smell of a new book and the feel of turning the pages, you can find the print edition at Exclusive Books.

Vincent Maher, Jayne Morgan and Peter Greenwall were the three other guest speakers that blew us away with their presentations from citizen journalism to new broadcasting such as podcasts and innovation and new inspiring ways of thinking. During the recess guests enjoyed the interactive exhibition where they were able to get their hands on XBOX, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.

"The dynamic speakers had everyone on the edge of their seats with their cutting edge information! The enthusiasm was infectious and bounced from the first to the last speaker. I left totally inspired," said Prof. Johann van der Merwe. Head of Department: Public Relations Management.

“I learnt so much from the speakers at this year’s conference,” said Monique Boucher, Conference MC, Public Relations B Tech student and self-confessed online junkie.“In a time where lifestyle revolves around technology and with business centered on online accessibility, talking technology makes perfect sense.”