NOWSOURCING

A computer can’t think like a person. You can program a computer to mimic human response, but this falls short. The concept of artificial artificial intelligence, such as the Human Turk attempts to have humans fill in the subjective gaps for machines, but this is still human operated.

Similarly, E-Commerce sales promotion cannot convey all the dimensions of a product. Smelling, tasting and touching an item we want to buy is more meaningful than just seeing an item and being able to rotate it online.

Communication with people over the Internet also limits the depths of our relationships. Yes, it is fun and easy to chat and email with friends, but there is a human element that is missing. You can’t pick up body language, and unless you’re in audio/video, you will miss tone and perhaps never even see what people really look like.

So, how does all of this apply to the SMX Social Media New York?
You will get top notch liveblog updates of the SMX event on some of these sources:

Aim Clear Blog

Search EngineJournal

SearchEngineLand, care of Vanessa Fox

SearchEngineRoundtable as liveblogged by Tamar (see some of my questions to Garrett Camp, co-founder and chief architect of StumbleUpon)

Still, reading about what happened at the event can’t be compared to actually being there. I communicate with a lot of people online every day. Email, instant messaging, Twitter, you name it. Since this was my first SMX event, although I’ve chatted with many of those in the field, I did not know these people from face-to-face interaction or anything beyond their avatar. Meeting with folks like Tamar and Marty has been a great experience. Watching Tamar’s level of anxiousness and excitement on her first speaking event and hearing more about Marty’s survival through cancer are lost in translation. Connecting on a deeper level strengthens the bonds that we have with our contacts and friends. Looking forward to speaking with you all on our final day of the conference!