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Twitter 2.0

Twitter is in the headlines once again in the wake of the uprising in Iran.  Ridiculed as the “domain of the narcissist,” the micro-blogging service proved to be integral in the spread of news from Iran as mainstream journalists were forced to temper their reporting.  Twitter proved so vital that the U.S. Department of Defense stepped in to demand the company forgo a planned outage. 

After an initial hesitation to embrace the service, we’ve been successfully utilizing Twitter for many different needs here at Articulate, from gathering news and building relationships with reporters to networking and broadcasting client news.  Catering heavily to early adopters (technology industry reporters), it wasn’t hard for us to extract value from Twitter, but for the average person, the service still suffered from a lack of personal utility.

Now that Twitter has shown some ability to be useful to the “everyday person,” it will be interesting to see how it grows.  Will we start seeing companies and causes leverage the service for the advancement of their ideals?  Will news articles begin to focus on how the service has helped actual people or will we continue to face a constant blight of reports on Ashton Kutcher’s daily activities? 

By Kate Reed

SIFMA 2009

For the past few months, many “Articulaters” have been swept up in planning.  Not just for the long-awaited (and still being waited upon) summer; rather, for the SIFMA Technology Management Conference – one of the largest fintech events, especially for securities, capital markets and investment services.

While I’m not a SIFMA newbie, I haven’t been going for two-plus decades like some of my peers.  I missed the SIFMAs of the 1990s, before the boom and bluster of the Dot.com crash.  My frame of reference is the 2000s – full of all the high-performance computing jargon, latency benchmarks, Web 2.0, widgets galore, booth babes and nary an empty glass in sight.

This year’s show was quite different though.  Rather than the hustle and bustle of last year’s pre-Lehman Brothers’ collapse event of 7,000, including vendors, sell- and buy-side end users, exchanges and more, this year’s event was down by at least a third, if not by half.  If anything, it served as a stark reminder of how many have been impacted by Wall Street and its supporting industries.  Perhaps in all this the media industry has fared the worst.  With dwindling vendors and ever-shrinking budgets for advertising, it’s the publishers, editors, journalists and support staff that bear the brunt of the pain. 

I’m not trying to paint an all-dour picture.  In fact, many remarked that the quality of attendees was up.  There were prospects, partners and service providers abound across the exhibition halls and meeting rooms of the midtown Hilton.

On a personal note, I had the pleasure of working with Articulate client Portware to celebrate the success of those still making things happen and representing the best in the industry:  the analysts and journalists that highlight the goings-on, breaking news, trends and predictions.  After watching long-time friends, formidable competitors and all-around industry legends (Madoff, anyone?) falter and sometimes fall in the past year, Portware had the courage to highlight the positive things that are happening.  With the help of a charity auction, some Clear Channel friends and a phenomenal designer, Portware found its way to fame on a billboard – the Times Square JumboTron.  The ad, running every 15 minutes, reminded us to look up at what’s in front of us.

I’m extremely proud not only of the always-resilient fintech community, but especially for my colleagues – the team members who worked long hours, our fantastic clients who came out in full force and my peers in the industry.  Congrats on a well-deserved event.  After all, SIFMA is a reminder that it’s an incredibly small – and hopefully finished-shrinking – industry in which I’m happy to be a part.

By Katy Zack

Summer in the City

Summer is upon us in New York and I couldn’t be more excited about the warm weather and the time spent outdoors.  Recently, I was thinking about the impact this season has on the business community here.  With many working short weeks and taking extended vacations, there is a perception that all aspects of our professional lives consequently slow down.  In my two years working in technology PR, I’ve discovered that this isn’t really true.

The summer holds many important industry events and networking opportunities.  One is the Annual SIFMA Technology Management Conference & Exhibit.  For all intents and purposes, this is the marquee event for the financial technology (fintech) community.  Most major players in the space circle the event on their calendars each year, as it presents a vast array of opportunities to connect with key industry decision makers.  As always, Articulate will be well represented at the event with our rapidly growing number of fintech clients, including ACTIV, Derivix, OptionMetrics and Portware.

Another great event that takes places every month is The New York Tech Meet Up.  This is always a hit with the local tech community, especially during the summer when it’s often held at an outdoor venue.  You can often find several “Articulaters” there! 

Finally, there’s the Articulate Summer Party, everyone’s favorite event of the season.  Information on the date and location of this year’s event is coming soon.  In the meantime, enjoy the nice weather and I hope to see you at these events!

By Jonathan Klein