Plus, how to deliver a great acceptance speech
David-Michel Davies is the Chairman of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the organisation responsible for selecting the winners and nominees for the Webby Awards. It is also the organisation that founded the very idea of Internet Week, making it a major player in the digital space.
David-Michel's visited Internet Week today to give a presentation that was fun, friendly and, most importantly insightful. It began with some of the Webby Awards' past highlights, many of which focused on the acceptance speeches, all of which have to be five words according to Webby rules. One well worth a look is the acceptance of Martin Cooper, the underappreciated inventor of the mobile phone, who quips 'Can you hear me now?' as he accepts his lifetime achievement award. That from a man who has undoubtedly changed all of our lives but can you honestly say you had heard of him before now?
The presentation did have a serious undertone though as David-Michel moved on to the topic of social media. He believes we are living in "a golden age of criticism" as outlets like Twitter give consumers the opportunity to vent their frustrations. He spoke about the social media challenges facing many companies, still in an engaging and amusing manner.
After the presentation, Yahoo! Scene caught up with David-Michel for a few quick-fire questions:
Yahoo! Scene: What is your favourite Webby acceptance speech?
DMD: There was a great one by Prince, who said "Everything you think is true". It's a bit different and fitted in so well with his slightly weird image.
Yahoo! Scene: In your opinion, what was the funniest Webby acceptance speech?
DMD: Al Gore's speech 'Please don't recount this vote' was definitely one of the funniest for me.
Yahoo! Scene: What is your favourite winning Webby entry?
DMD: One of my favourites is The Johnny Cash Project 's take on Johnny Cash's song 'Ain't No Grave'. The site used thousands of user-submitted images to put together this great video of the song. You should take a look, it's great.
Yahoo! Scene: Lastly, how would you describe the Webby Awards in five words?
DMD: Honouring the Net's outstanding achievements.
-- Simon Hall
