Solvate’s co-founder and COO Julie Ruvolo will be onstage at Web 2.0 Expo New York next week to give solid advice on how to improve your hiring process of independent professionals. If you’ve ever been burned, this may be the session for you.

Julie recently answered some questions about her session and what you can expect to learn next week.

Justin: For those that are unfamiliar, can you give a quick intro to Solvate?

Julie: Solvate is a startup based in downtown New York City that is building the country’s premier on-demand workforce. We think businesses big and small, startup or not, should have access to the best talent possible, on terms that make sense for them, not just for businesses with a big hiring budget. So only the best independent consultants and freelancers are invited into our network, and we make their time available on a purely on-demand, no strings, no minimums hourly basis.

Justin: You founded Solvate alongside your business partners Michael Paolucci and Rick Lamb, who gets credit for the idea? What was the inspiration?

Julie: Credit for the idea goes to Mike! Let’s call him Client #1. He was operating another business out of the woods in Connecticut – as in no cell phone service – at the time that we met at a dinner hosted by DFJ Gotham. He was working at that time with a completely remote (and international) staff and thought there was room to explore offering remote administrative support to the growing segment of businesses that are taking advantage of cloud technology and working out of the traditional office confines, and he was working on the idea with Rick, his long-time business associate.

Mike, Rick and I got started on Solvate, DFJ Gotham provided the financing, and we very quickly realized that the caliber of professionals ready to work on demand expanded beyond administrative assistants to tons of industries and skill sets. You would be surprised at the breadth of professionals who are joining the Gig Economy and working independently. Market researchers, Salesforce-Certified Developers, Emmy award winners.

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Is your company’s social media plan slightly… disorganized? Not sure who’s running what account and when things should be posted? Web 2.0 Expo Speaker Veronica Fielding has the answer for you in her upcoming session Cure the Chaos: How to Coordinate Your Company’s Social Media Efforts.

Veronica recently answered some of our questions about her session and how you can better facilitate this vital marketing and sales channel.

Justin: Your session title describes the current state of social media adoption for many companies as chaos.  With marketing, HR, IT, sales and every other aspect of the business having a stake in the issue, how does a company even start to set a comprehensive social media strategy?

Veronica: By considering the objectives for each area of the business, the company can begin to envision how social media will enable the organization to achieve those objectives.  For example, if an objective is to increase customer satisfaction, thinking through how social media technologies can support that lays the path for the other considerations that need to be made to move from envisioning to implementation.

Justin: So you’ve set your social media strategy and built your presence on the different networks, yet the money isn’t coming in.  Where are the customers?

Veronica: Social media is seldom, at least at this point in time, a “sales” channel.  It facilitates sales by increasing engagement, communication flow—but it isn’t usually meant to be a direct line to an increase in revenue.

Justin: In terms of the customer, how does social media effect their expectations of the organizations that they choose to do business with and how organizations can use new mediums to engage and collaborate with customers and prospects?

Veronica: Being in the social channel definitively starts to communicate to stakeholders that a brand intends to increase its participation with stakeholders via this channel.  It’s critical to continue conversations and not to let them “die on the vine” by not having the resources available to keep the conversations going.  We call pseudo-abandoned social media sites “ghost towns.”  Good planning keeps the populace engaged and the conversation flowing.

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We’re back! After a very successful debut in 2008, Web 2.0 Expo New York will be bringing together the Web 2.0 community again November 16-19 at the Javits Center.  Register before October 9 to take advantage of the early pricing.

The full program is still being developed, but here is a glimpse of what’s on tap for this year:

• Genevieve Bell (Digital Home Group – Intel Corporation)
• Alistair Croll (Bitcurrent)
• Heather Gold (The Heather Gold Show)
• Ben Huh (I Can Haz Cheezburger?)
• Jeff Jarvis (Buzzmachine.com)
  
• Clara Shih (The Facebook Era)

… not to mention the Expo Hall, Web2Open, Launch Pad, Birds of a Feathers, and of course content, content, content!

As always, we’ll keep you posted on new content and networking events as they come.  Stay tuned and see you at Javits!

Having issues with the wireless at Web 2.0 Expo?  Switch to the 802.11a mode (sorry, does not apply to Macs).  

For WindowsXP or Windows Vista.

1) In Control Panel, select the System icon or the Device Manager icon (depending on your operating version).
2) In the Hardware tab under System Manager, Select Device Manager.
3) From the Device Manager screen, choose your Wireless Adapter under the “Network Adapters” drop down menu. 
4) In the “Advanced” tab, under “Wireless Mode” choose the appropriate mode you want your Wireless Adapter to use to connect to the network.  In this case, 802.11a only.
5) Reconnect to “Web2.0″ network
6) Blog/Tweet away

Permalink: http://blog.web2expo.com/2009/04/wireless_help/

On the last day of Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2009 use your Expo Pass to take advantage of Keynotes, the Expo floor and the Government 2.0 track.

Expo Hall Hours
10:30am – 2:00pm

Full list of exhibitors

Keynotes
8:45am – 3rd Level Ballroom
-Heather Gold (the Heather Gold Show)
-Vic Gundotra (Google)
-Scott Heiferman (Meetup)
-Jake Nickell (Threadless)
-Jeffrey Kalmikoff (Threadless)
-Peter Hershberg (Reprise Media)
-Jeff Veen (Small Batch, Inc.)

Full Keynote Schedule

Government 2.0 Track – Open to all Attendees
We believe the principles and practices of Web 2.0 can help bring increased government transparency, public involvement and reduced cost to government. The Government 2.0 track seeks to help the Web 2.0 community understand how they can bring their skills and knowledge to bear on this critical problem, whether as individuals seeking to enable change or companies looking for a new business opportunity.

Making Government 2.0 a Reality: A Citizen’s Guide to Essential Reforms
-11:00am – Room 2014

Navigating the Maze: How to Sell to the Public Sector
-1:30pm – Room 2014

Towards a More Open Union: Ways for Us to Change America
-2:40pm – Room 2014

my.barackobama.com: The Secrets of Obama’s New Media Juggernaut
-3:50pm – Room 2014

Sponsored Session
Enterprise Mashups Technical Deep Dive – John Boezeman (IBM)
-11:00am – Room 2016

Full Schedule of Sponsored Sessions

Sunlight Labs Hackathon
9:00am-5:00pm – Room 2018
The project chosen for the Hackathon is the Fifty State Project, an openly available structured database of state legislation.

More information about the Sunlight Labs Hackathon

Use your Expo Pass on Thursday to take advantage of Booth Crawl, Keynotes, Sponsored Sessions, the Expo Hall and a number of other events.

Expo Hall Hours
10:30am – 6:00pm
Full list of exhibitors

Keynotes
8:45am – 3rd Level Ballroom
-Douglas Rushkoff (Author, “Get Back in the Box”)
-Anssi Vanjoki (Nokia)
-Ellen Miller (Sunlight Foundation)
-Kevin Lynch (Adobe Systems Incorporated)
- Will Wright (Creator of Spore)
Full Keynote Schedule

Sponsored Sessions
Maximize your Web2.0 Efforts with Cloud Computing – Scott Gerard (IBM Systems Lab Services and Training)
-11:00am – Room 2016

Optimize Your Organic Search Results Leveraging Social Media and Your Own Website – Heather Lutze (Lutze Consulting and Author “The Findability Formula: The Easy,

Non-Technical Guide to Search Engine Marketing”), Scott Calvert (Verio)
-11:00am – Room 2014

Microsoft and MySpace Joint Technology Presentation – Michael Scherotter (Microsoft Corporation), Max Newbould (MySpace)
-1:30pm – Room 2016

The Social Media Trilogy: Three Vital Components for Building a Successful Online Strategy – Gerardo Dada (Vignette)
-2:40pm – Room 2014

Cloud Computing and the Paradigm Shift That’s Coming in IT – Lew Moorman (Rackspace.com)
-3:50pm – Room 2014

Full Schedule of Sponsored Sessions

Networking Events
Booth Crawl
-4:30pm – Expo Floor

Quench your thirst with vendor-hosted libations and snacks while you check out all the cool stuff on the expo show floor.

Web2Open
Web2Open is Web 2.0 Expo’s unconference—a free, community-driven event where you can connect with other participants to discuss Web 2.0 topics and questions. As an unconference, Web2Open lets attendees create sessions using an onsite grid, and it emphasizes participation and conversation over presentations.

Hybrid Sessions – We’re picking three sessions in the main conference track that will be open to all Web2Open attendees (Two on Wednesday, one on Thursday). Then we’re following those presentations with discussions in the Web2Open.

Sparking a Crush: Attracting and Retaining New Users
1:30pm – Room 2005

Sunlight Labs Hackathon
9:00am-6:00pm – Room 2018
The project chosen for the Hackathon is the Fifty State Project, an openly available structured database of state legislation.

Birds of a Feather Sessions
7:00pm – 11:00pm
All BoFs will take place at the San Francisco Marriott, in Sierra Rooms, H, I, J and K. The Marriott is located at 55 Fourth Street, just one block from Moscone West.

Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco is here!

With so much going on, it can be difficult to keep track of all the great events and programs at this year’s show. So, we’ve put together a list of can’t miss programs available to Expo Pass holders happening on Wednesday.

If you don’t have a pass already, there is still time to register for a free expo pass (use code EXPOPASS)

Expo Hall
10:30am – 4:00pm
First Floor

Come see what the the leading Web 2.0 companies have on display.

Keynotes
3:40pm
Third Floor Ballroom

Wednesday’s lineup includes:
- Tim O’Reilly (O’Reilly Media, Inc.)
- John Maeda (Rhode Island School of Design)
- Stephen Elop (Microsoft Business Division)
- Amanda Koster (SalaamGarage)
- Michael Abbott (Palm, Inc.)
- Mark Carges (eBay Inc.)

Networking Events
Opening Reception (sponsored by Palm)
5:30pm – 3rd Floor Lobby

Ignite
8:15pm* – Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street @ Mint)

*Priority access will be given to Conference and Expo Plus Pass holders starting at 7:30. Space is limited.

Sunlight Hackathon
9:00am – 6:00pm
Second Floor, Room 2018

Sunlight Labs, part of the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation (one of our favorite organizations) is an open source development team that builds technology to make government more transparent and accountable. We’ve invited them to host a hackathon at Web 2.0 Expo, where attendees build an application that promotes transparency in government. We welcome you to join our hackathon – stop by to help out for an hour or a day, contribute to rebuilding our democracy, and meet some great folks!

The project chosen for the Hackathon is the Fifty State Project, an openly available structured database of state legislation.

Sponsored Sessions
Transforming IT with Cloud Computing
Trae Chancellor (Salesforce.com)
9:40am – Room 2016

This Apps for You: Creating Relevant Content Offerings for a Global Marketplace
Tero Ojanperä (Nokia)
9:40am – Room 2014

Smart Work: Embrace Change & Empower Your Teams to Drive Growth and Innovation – A Panel Discussion
Kathy Mandelstein (IBM Software Group)
Ryan Boyles (IBM Software Group)
Brendan Crotty (IBM Software Group)
Tom Deutsch (IBM Software Group)
10:50am – Room 2016

Use It or Lose It: Proving the Business Value of RIAs
Anthony Franco (EffectiveUI)
Michael Clark (Photobucket)
10:50am – Room 2014

Gadgets Gone Commercial: Building Commerce Applications Based on the Gadget Spec
Farhang Kassaei (eBay)
David Glazer (Google)
1:30pm – Room 2014

Darwinism on the Web – Surviving and Thriving in a Web 2.0 World
Sören Stamer (CoreMedia)
1:30pm – Room 2016

Distributing and Monetizing Windows Mobile Applications Through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile
John Bruno (Microsoft)
Daniel Bouie (Microsoft)
2:40pm – Room 2016

Web2Open
Web2Open is Web 2.0 Expo’s unconference – a free, community-driven event where you can connect with other participants to discuss Web 2.0 topics and questions. As an unconference, Web2Open lets attendees create sessions using an onsite grid, and it emphasizes participation and conversation over presentations.

Hybrid Sessions – We’re picking three sessions in the main conference track that will be open to all Web2Open attendees. Then we’re following those presentations with discussions in the Web2Open.

Web Developer Tools: How to be productive building for the Web
10:50am – Room 2002

The Lean Startup: a Disciplined Approach to Imagining, Designing, and Building New Products
1:30pm – Room 2009

Birds of a Feather Sessions
7:00pm – 11:00pm

Location: San Francisco Marriott, in Sierra Rooms, H, I, J and K. The Marriott is located at 55 Fourth Street, just one block from Moscone West.

The Community Lounge at Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco is a great meeting and working space for organizations, associations, groups and individuals looking for a place to gather. To book the room, please fill out this form with (2) requested time slots.

Hours*:
Wednesday – 8-11am, 12-2pm & 3-3:30pm
Thursday – 8-8:30am, 1-2pm & 3-4:30pm
Friday – 12-2pm & 3-4:30pm

Details:
- Located on level 2 of Moscone West, room 2020
- You can book 30 minutes at a time up to 2 hours.
- We will do our best to accommodate any special requests
- Wifi is available but there are no power outlets in the room. There are nearby power drops at the Web2Open Lounge or Power Up area in the Level 2 lobby.

*There are daily video recording hours 11am-12pm (12-1pm on Thursday) and 2-3pm. There will be an on-site sign up sheet every morning, and bookings are for 15 minute slots.

This video has been a favorite of mine for a while now. It really shows how powerful collaboration can be.

Here at Web 2.0 Expo we really value those who do what matters, especially if they are doing so without chasing the almighty dollar. Like Tim O’Reilly said a few years ago in a commencement address for the UC Berkeley School of Information and reiterated on his blog a few weeks ago,

…financial success is not the only goal or the only measure of success. It’s easy to get caught up in the heady buzz of making money. You should regard money as fuel for what you really want to do, not as a goal in and of itself. Money is like gas in the car — you need to pay attention or you’ll end up on the side of the road — but a well-lived life is not a tour of gas stations!

Whatever you do, think about what you really value.

Personally, I couldn’t agree more. Which is why as part of the Web 2.0 Expo event team I’m happy to announce the establishment of our San Francisco 2009 Non-Profit Pavilion. If you’re a non-profit organization that is using Web 2.0 technologies to support your cause, mission, or community goals, we invite you to apply for a spot in our Pavilion.

If you’re chosen as a participant you’ll get a booth in the Pavilion (located on the expo floor) with power/internet drops, on-site branding and inclusion in the events guide, completely free of charge.

Think of it as our way of saying thanks for being awesome!

Simply post a comment that answers:

How are you using Web 2.0 technologies to improve the lives of others?

At Web 2.0 Expo New York we were proud to showcase great organizations like ChangingthePresent, Amoration, Creative Commons, Donorschoose, Knowmore, Social Actions, USIBA and the University of Denver CIS Program.

Organizations must be a registered 501c3 to participate. Space is limited, so we’ll only be able to take a select few. The deadline to apply is February 20. An internal Web 2.0 Expo committee will select the booth recipients and announcements will be made the week of February 23.

Thanks for doing what you do, keep it up.