This week I am attending Digital Research 2012. It takes place in Oxford which means that I save on travelling time and expenses. Win.
I am particularly interested in this conference because it brings together digital researchers from various disciplines. Looking at mentions of the conference on Twitter, for instance, I can see researchers from computers science, policy and humanities, among others. The other appealing characteristic of this event is that it is focused on practice. As you know, my research interests are very much focused on how things work in practice.
You can find more information about the event here, and follow the hashtag #digres on Twitter.
I am looking forward to the keynote presentation by Noshir Contractor, on Monday. He is looking at how big data might motivate new theories and methods (or not). And, then, of course, I am really looking forward to the panel that Sarah Quinton and I have put together.
Sarah and I were very lucky to be able to bring together a small but varied group of bright practitioners. They are, in alphabetical order:
- James Ramsay, Digital Entrepreneur
- Joanna Morton, Director of MMR Research
- Paul Malyon, Senior Product Manager of QAS Experian
- Paul Miller, Futurist and Author of “The Digital Workplace – How Technology is Liberating Work”.
Together, the panel will explore how organisations’ use of digital technology is likely to evolve in the future and, thus, identify the skills and knowledge gaps that research institutions can (should) address.
We hope that this panel will foster the development of a research agenda and of research networks focused on theory-practice collaboration. We plan to produce a white paper, among other deliverables. If you are attending the conference, please do say I (and join us for the panel discussion).
But you can join in, even if you are not attending the event! Just let me know: What would you like us to ask the panel?
Ana Canhoto 
Wow, sounds super interesting, Ana! I will follow the hashtag. And as for a panel question (I really like how you engage your audience and pull them in, even if they can not attend): I would like to know what they think of the necessity to develop new business models. As an example the many copyright-related issues. Part of the problem with piracy (at least, to my opinion) is that content, or broadcasting rights, is released on a per-country basis. This means that some people do not have legal access to some content (a big frustration of mine). Especially the entertainment industry is, again in my opinion, trying to hold on to a business model and legal structure that is not in tune with the reality of the digital world. But I like to learn the opinion of the panel and what they think more insight through research could do to help both businesses and the consumers.
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Great question, Arjan. So many aspects in business are based on geographical boundaries (e.g., pricing) which, of course, does not make sense in the boundary-less reality of digital. I will ask that!
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