Last week, Rogue Paper attended our first ever LeanBack meetup hosted by Farhad of Ad Rise and Ryan Lawler of GigaOm.  We were very excited to be able to network with a number of individuals in our industry, thrilled by the focus on sharing and curated content and inspired by the special guest, Wael Ghonim.

Overall, we were struck by the increasing convergence of the “glowing rectangles” in our lives.  Redux showed a sneak peek of its Google TV app, Miso adding features on top of mobile check-in, ShowYou aggregates video content across your social graph, and Short Form creates curated video content channels.

As well, all of the presenters focused on the importance of sharing curated content, which Rogue Paper is in complete agreement.  We believe in sharing a more relevant conversation and connecting people around a shared interest, the digital watercooler as we like to call it, promises a new era for television as a community activity.  Our compatriots agreed  – ShowYou and Redux tailor video content based on users’ social networks, Short Form offers VJ’s who curate specific content, and Miso moves into sharing entertainment content with friends via check-ins.

Finally, Wael Ghonim spoke at the end regarding the role of technology in the Egyptian revolution.  It’s no surprise that social technology gives crowds a voice.  But it’s powerful to hear first hand how that voice was leveraged into substantial political change.  We are humbled by his courage and humanity, and his ability to adapt technology to serve humanitarian needs.

Overall, all of us in this space agree on one thing – engagement is powerful tool to inspire, entertain, and even to activate.

We look forward to the next event!