December 31, 2013

Web Wednesday Podcasts 2013

Dear Friends and Members of the Web Wednesday Community,

As we round off 2013, I wanted to personally thank you for being a member of the Web Wednesday community. It is your presence at our monthly gatherings, activity across our social media platforms and energetic support that drives me to keep this community growing and spend time sourcing good speakers from whom we can all learn.

If you missed some of the great interviews this year, listen to them at your own leisure on our podcast channel on SoundCloud below. We were honoured to have guest speakers from Lane Crawford, WeChat (Tencent), PassKit, Silicon Dragon, Qunar, WeLend, Wikipedia, App Annie, Socialbakers, Paoma (Shanghai Race Club), ZaoZao, Evernote, Battle of the Apps (9 contestants) and School for Startups (Doug Richard).



We have another great bench of speakers lined up for 2014 but are always open to any suggestions that you may have to make our group even more valuable to you.

Warm, festive wishes to y'all!


December 15, 2013

Hong Kong’s Biggest Social Media Christmas Party “X'Mas Social 2013″ on 18 December

Ditch the santa costume, spark up your inner geek and come party with the tech entrepreneurs at Hong Kong's biggest Christmas party, "X'mas Social 2013".  A party initiated by Web Wednesday and co-organised by StartUps HK and their spin-off "Twitter Drinking HK", HK Social and Localiiz.


We've been inspired by the sad passing of "Tata Madiba", Nelson Mandela, to throw our differences to the wind - be it social media platforms (Facebook vs. Weibo), coding languages (Drupal vs. Wordpress), mobile operating systems (iOS vs. Android), sexual preferences, religious beliefs or tribal origins - to unite for Hong Kong's biggest 'social mixer' of 2013!

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” — Nelson Mandela

Come join us on Wednesday 18th December, 7:00pm - 10:00pm at PLAY, 1st Floor On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, Hong Kong. The entrance fee is HK$100 which includes a standard drink. You can find Play Club on Facebook, Twitter, Instragram and YouTube. [Let's see if the geeks are worthy of Play's YouTube channel].

Sign up on Facebook, MeetUp or Eventbrite.

December 4, 2013

80 Social Mixers - Festive Fun and Prizes

As the "grandfather" of the networking events for internet entrepreneurs and digital media folk, Web Wednesday is proud to celebrate our 80th social mixer tonight!


We've laid on al kinds of entertainment, from singers to dancers, photo booths and prizes.

The in-house rock band at mobile wallet startup, PassKit, "#PFR PNP", will perform a set. Download your own mobile pass from here.


Capture your holiday spirit on film, share it on social media and...print it out! Live photos for tonight's School for Startups at Web Wednesday Hong Kong (V80), brought to you by the fun folk at HK Photobox - Hong Kong's Premier Photobooth Rental Company. They are offering our members a 10% discount on photobox bookings until the end of 2013, just mention "Web Wednesday Startup Week" on your booking. (Find them via their website, Facebook or Twitter)


They've event created a funky video to get you in the mood for a good selfie!


HK Photobox - Call Us, Yes! from HK Photobox on Vimeo.

Local Hong Kong travel startup, HotelQuickly, is generously offering a booking coupon worth HK$800 for the lucky draw prize. Download their app from here. (Follow them on FacebookTwitter or Pinterest).


And finally, our world-renowned speaker, Doug Richard, will be giving away a signed copy of his latest book, "How to start a creative business, the jargon-free guide for creative entrepreneurs". Check it out on Amazon UK.



November 26, 2013

School for Startups at Web Wednesday HK (V80)

Thanks to the folk at Invest Hong Kong, we've lined up Doug Richard, a world-class speaker and founder of School for Startups, as part of the StartmeupHK December Week, held 2-7th December 2013 across different venues in Hong Kong.

According to his Twitter profile, @dougrichard is an "Entrepreneur, Investor, Teacher, former Dragon from Dragons Den. Founder of SchoolForStartups teaching entrepreneurship around the globe". Find them on Facebook and YouTube.


This well-known and 'no holds barred" speaker founded School for Startups to enable new and aspiring entrepreneurs to turn their big ideas into successful enterprises. As a renowned entrepreneur himself, Doug has taught, mentored and provided training to over 25,000 businesses encouraging a more entrepreneurial mind-set to improve bottom line results.

See him in action below:



Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 4th December, 2013 at Bisous Hong Kong, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to meet driven internet entrepreneurs, the local design and development community and digital media folk.

Come celebrate 80 successful social mixers with us! We have some fun surprises lined up for y'all!

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp.

November 18, 2013

Contestants for Battle of the Apps V

A wide range of mobile app entrepreneurs will be taking to the stage for our 5th Battle of the Apps, held at Bisous (9/F LKF Tower, Central, Hong Kong), 6:30pm - 9:30pm on Wednesday 20th November, 2013.


This event is open to anyone interested in seeing the latest Hong Kong start-ups in the mobile space. Let us know that you're coming - and see who else will be there - by signing up via Facebook or MeetUp.

As app development is so hot in Hong Kong at the moment, the contest has been over-subscribed. Unfortunately, we've had to turn down a few entrepreneurs but, no need to worry, we will hold another battle of the apps in early 2014.

Here are our ten brave contestants, listed in order of contest registration. (Each app description comes from the contestant themselves. If we cannot find the intro video, we have just posted a screenshot of the app).

Contestant #1 - Easy Taxi
Using a passenger’s location, the app contacts the nearest taxis to the user and allows the passenger to see which taxi has accepted their request. By showing the driver’s picture, license number and phone number as well as allowing the passenger track in real time how close the taxi is to their location, getting a taxi in Hong Kong has never been safer and more convenient. Read more on their website, follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. Download the app from iTunes, Google Play, Blackberry Apps World and Samsung App Stores.



Contestant #2 - Maaii
Maaii is a new mobile communications app for iOS and Android devices that combines calls, chat functions and social network integration. Read more on their website. Follow them on Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Twitter, Weibo and YouTube. Download from iTunes and Google Play.



Contestant #3 - meToo!
meToo! is the world's first location based app that allows anybody to quickly create, share, comment and rsvp to microevents with friends, or like minded people nearby. It's a Twitter-like service but with event management options. A micro-event on meToo! is a small, informal and spontaneous gathering with your friends, or people nearby with the same interest, hobby or demographic profile. Read more on their website. Download from iTunes.



Contestant #4 - Spottly
Spottly is an app that aims to make it really easy for anyone to create and share their travel notes of places they’ve been to or places they want to go to. Spottly is seed investment by 500Startups, a Silicon Valley early-stage seed fund and startup accelerator founded by Dave McClure, back in April 2013. Matt Cheng of Cherubic Ventures is leading Spottly’s angel round. As of October 14, 2013, Spottly has been selected by Apple to be featured on the App Store’s “Best New Apps” in 15 countries, which includes Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Cambodia and Laos. Read more on their website. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Angel List. Download from iTunes.


Contestant #5 - Flying Saucer
Flying Saucer is an Augmented Reality app that enables static objects, documents or geolocated areas to be linked to dynamic and immersive interactive content - everything from games, videos, websites, 3D animations, youtube and social media feeds can be linked by the app to objects such as a buildings statues, magazines, posters, walls and even the sky. More on their website. Follow the creator on Twitter. Download from iTunes.


Contestant #6 - Radio Chinwag
The app is designed for you to practise speaking English and to get feedback on your language abilities from your peers and from teachers. Feedback is in the form of ratings on Fluency, Vocabulary, Grammar and Accent, as well as individual comments. You can build your own community of English learners with the same age, location or ability as you. Read more on their website. Follow on Twitter and Facebook. Download from iTunes and Google Play.\


Contestant #7 - HiBaby Diary
HiBaby Diary is the first App that allows writing and printing the multimedia diary of your baby's first year. Memories you and your family will keep forever. HiBaby Diary is a perfectly web-integrated system for iPhone and iPad that lets you share reading and writing the most important moments of your baby’s first year of life with your family and friends, in real time: text, pictures, video. Once completed the diary can be printed too in a big luxury customized book available with a choice of bindings. Read more on their website. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, 56 (China) and Youku. Download for iPhone or iPad (different versions).


HiBaby Diary - The App from hibaby.biz on Vimeo.

Contestant #8 - Chope
Chope offers diners instantly confirmed reservations at some of the finest restaurants in Hong Kong and Singapore. Read more on their website. Follow on Facebook, TwitterGoogle Plus or Instagram. Download from iTunes or Google Play.


Contestant #9 - Petrol Usage Tracker
With Petrol Usage Tracker users can easily keep track of their fuel consumption. Simple and easy to use, the app provides a handy possibility to get an overview of this important household expense. Create a profile for your car and enter the distance driven and the amount and price of newly added petrol to get your average fuel spending calculated for you. The app fully supports metric and imperial units and is able to show a car's fuel consumption in liter per 100 kilometers or miles per gallon. The fuel expense can be shown in any of the world's currencies and can even be converted into another currency at the current exchange rate! Visit the developer website (S4BB). Follow them on Twitter or Facebook.


Contestant #10 - Spotdesign
Spot designs you like in the street, exhibitions and so and and share it with your friends. Post your content to buyMeDesign. Read more on their website. Follow buyMeDesign on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest or YouTube. Download from iTunes.



Good luck to all our contestants. Come see these budding entr-app-reneurs in action at Web Wednesday's popular Battle of the Apps event on 20th November, 2013.

October 24, 2013

Evernote at Web Wednesday HK (V78)

For our 78th social mixer, we have invited Troy Malone, General Manager of Evernote in Asia Pacific. [Read Troy's blog, follow him on Twitter or Facebook].

Evernote was born in 2008 and has now become "the external brain" to over 65 million users worldwide, of which around 5% pay for the premium service. [Follow Evernote on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus].


Unlike many US internet companies, Evernote has managed to conquer China with over 4 million users who know the brand as "印象笔记" and access via fully-localised website (yingxiang.com).



They have embraced Chinese social media with presences on Sina Weibo, Douban, Renren as well as WeChat (ID: "yxbj100" or scan the QR code below with your WeChat app).



We will discuss how Evernote has successfully localised its cloud-based, multi-media, note-taking service to over 18 countries, including Japan, Indonesia, China and Taiwan; how they have expanded into new areas, like food blogging and business collaboration; and how they are engaging application developers with the Evernote Market, the Trunk Conference and the DevCup.



Watch their promo video on Evernote Market, their new way to engage developer partners:



Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 6th November, 2013 at Bisous Hong Kong, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp. We expect a good crowd so let us know that you're coming.

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to meet driven internet entrepreneurs, local developers and digital media folk.

Come learn why their CEO Phil Libin's goal is "to build a hundred year startup"!

October 23, 2013

Battle of the Apps V - Hong Kong Start-Ups

Calling all entr-app-reneurs!

Four months is a long time in the fast-paced world of mobile start-ups. So, due to popular demand (and a whole new slew of app launches), we have set a date for the next "Battle of the Apps" on 20th November, 2013.



This lively competition is open to application creators, developers and publishers who participate in a "pitching contest" in the heart of Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong party area. All apps welcome, be it on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome, Symbian or any other operating system (TV, tablet or smartphone).

Networking will start at 6:30pm, with the battle from 7:00pm sharp on 20th November 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

Submit your app via the form below, join the event on Facebook and spread the word on social media using the shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps5".

Curious to learn more? Read about BoA I, BoA II, BoA III, BoA IV and the winners of BoA IV.

RULES OF THE BATTLE
Each contestant will have 5 minutes to present their creation (slides or live demo) followed by questions from the floor. Due to time limitations, there will be a maximum of 10 contestants.

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote with their fingers (good, old fashioned, analogue stickers!). The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at a future Web Wednesday Social Mixer, with all the associated promotional benefits.

If you're a contestant, sign up to join the fray below. Otherwise, do help spread the word - using "#battleofapps" hashtag on Twitter or the shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps5" for other social media.

Fill out my online form.


ZaoZao Co-Founder on Chinese Dating Show

Vicky Wu, entrepreneur and guest speaker for our 77th Web Wednesday gathering, likes to go against social norms. Here she is participating in a popular Chinese TV dating show, The Choice (转身遇到TA), where instead of men picking the girls, four 'Power Women' got to chose their favourite man from 15 bachelors. [See if you can spot the ZaoZao product placement?]

October 17, 2013

Shop ZaoZao at Web Wednesday HK (V77)

We're very lucky to catch another global internet entrepreneur, Vicky Wu, whose recently moved her Hong Kong start-up, ZaoZao, to New York City to be incubated by CommerceWorks.

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp.

In the past year, ZaoZao has won several nomimations:
*Named one of the "Crowdfunding Pioneers in Asia-Pacific" by TechInAsia (Aug 2012)
*Listed as an "Innovative 'Presumption' Brands" in Trend Watching (Nov 2012)
*Called one of the "Top 15 Hottest Crowdfunding Sites Out There" by Business Insider (Nov 2012)


Vicky is a multi-talented lady, an accomplished concert cellist, neuroscientist and former banker, so has a punchy story to tell. Her business partner (on the left in the photo below), Xiang Ling Cai, was a former fashion accessory buyer for Kering/Gucci.


Personally, I like this description of how their idea came to fruition, "Over hundreds of emails, coffee sessions and sleepless nights, they came up with ZAOZAO. Within a week, both girls quit their jobs to dedicate their energy to creating a platform that could help turn designers’ dreams into a reality, one design at a time."

The cocktail party line to describe their budding business, is "Kickstarter meets Fab meets Moda Operandi".  Or in a more wordy way, "ZaoZao is an e-commerce startup, selling one-of-a-kind pieces including jewellery, accessories and handbags in an online, curated marketplace. We are differentiated by their travelogue concept, engaging Western women in a destination-shopping adventure where they discover beautifully curated, one-of-a-kind pieces by up-and-coming Asian designers. ZAO means 'early' ('早')and 'discover' ('找')in Chinese." (Don't mean to be pedantic but it means 'find' or 'look for' and is pronounced 'zhao').

In just over one year, ZaoZao has attracted users from over 20 countries, contacted 500+ designers across Asia and funded over 45 projects. And now she is about to pivot the business from "crowd-funding" to "curating" Asian designers. Follow ZaoZao on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 23rd October, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp.

Download your mobile smartpass from pass.is/webwed. [Provided by Passkit].

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to meet driven internet entrepreneurs and digital media folk.

Do bring along any budding female entrepreneurs as Vicky is sure to motivate them to leave their cushy banking jobs for the life of a launcher!

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of interviewing Vicky Wu at Silicon Dragon Hong Kong 2013 in Cyberport which was captured and shared on YouTube.

September 21, 2013

Google Mobile Developers Hong Kong Meet-Up 2013


The Google Developers Group and Google are inviting programmers and entrepreneurs to join an evening gathering on emerging mobile trends in apps, games and mobile monetisation.

Registration starts at 6:30pm, with talks from 7pm to 10pm on Monday 23rd September, 2013 at the InnoCentre, 72 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Find the venue on Google Maps.

[CHANGE OF DATE: An update from Google, "Owing to the Super Typhoon Usagi, the GDG Mobile Developers Night 2013 scheduled initially for 23 September 2013 has been postponed to 2 October 2013. Please click this link and leave your email address if you can still join."] 

Pre-register on Google Docs (of course!).

Topics to be covered will include:
1. Android Platform Updates
2. Google+ Platform Updates
3. Google Play Games Services
4. Google Cloud Endpoints for Mobile
5. What's new in Google Apps
6. Mobile Monetisation

Personally, I'm curious to find out when they will bring Google Wallet to Asia, now that's its become available on iOS and is offering a place to collect loyalty cards (similar to Passbook) and make payments (only in the US!).



September 16, 2013

Shanghai Race Club at Web Wednesday (V76)

Roll up! Roll up!

For our 76th social mixer, we've invited a special guest from the Chinese Motherland, Byron Constable, Chairman of the Shanghai Race Club, established in 1862.

A 20-year China Hand and serial entrepreneur, Byron is now applying his knowledge of digital marketing to convert the Shanghai Race Club from a business based on turf to one based on the world wide web.

This year the Club launched Paoma.com, a community for horse-lovers in China, who can browse, purchase and follow their four-legged friends compete in all the top European races. The first Paoma live streaming broadcast, a partnership with leading Chinese video streaming service, PPTV, and British racing site, At The Races, attracted over 500,000 views! You can find Paoma on Weibo, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.


Tapping into the e-commerce boom in China, Paoma.com recently launched an online store created for a new generation of racehorse buyers and collectors in Mainland China. The store features the racehorse, 'Trading Leather", winner of the Irish Derby in 2013 for sale at US$16.15M. Do I here a bid from Wenzhou?



Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 16th October, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to meet driven internet entrepreneurs and digital media folk.

Sign up to attend on Facebook or MeetUp.

Remember to dress up for this one as we hope to recreate Royal Ascot Races in the lush fields of Lam Kwai Fong!



September 15, 2013

Batte of the Sexes 2.0

Following on from the success of running four "Battle of the Apps", we're launching a new event format, called "Battle of the Sexes". It's about human relationships not software integration!


What makes this event different? For one evening, we're going to "gamify" different elements of a popular Web Wednesday networking event.

Firstly, to accelerate networking, you will need to get your card stamped three times in order to receive your complimentary drink. We will randomly issue cards or stamps to each person who pays the entrance fee of HK$100 at the door.

Secondly, we replace the hot-seat interview with a knock-out game. Boy and girl face off on-stage to answer rapid-fire questions about social behaviour in a digital age, hosted by Napoleon Biggs, Founder of Web Wednesday. The winner stays on and is joined by a new challenger of the opposite sex. Anyone from the audience can participate to fight for the pride of his/her clan!

Great prizes for the most digitally switched-on male and female in the room, including one 6-month complimentary membership at Fitness First (Value: HK$5,000) and dinner for two at Tamarind Pan-Asian Fine Dining (Value: HK$800).

Doors open at 6:30pm with the battle starting at 7:30pm on Wednesday 25th September, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

As usual, there is an entrance fee of HK$100. You'll have fun meeting some unusually interesting people, challenging the opposite sex and will receive a free drink by participating in a fun ice-breaking game.

Come fight to prove that your sex rules the digital airwaves!

We do have an event page on Facebook but, for the more discreetly minded, you can sign up privately via Eventbrite. Do let us know that you're coming so we can have a good balance of sexes.


September 9, 2013

Socialbakers at Web Wednesday HK (V75)


Special Event: Impromptu Web Wednesday Gathering on 11th Sept. 2013 at Insiders Bar, Wanchai


Having learnt from the NSA and PRISM, we've managed to track down Jan Rezab (@janrezab), the CEO & Co-Founder of Socialbakers, during a short, 3-day trip to Hong Kong.

Jan is a leading global expert in social media engagement and has spoken on the topic at 75+ conferences, including LeWeb, Ad:tech, Social Media Week, and university speeches Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and now...

We bring him to your doorstep in Hong Kong at your favourite gathering for local internet entrepreneurs and digital media experts, Web Wednesday!

In case you didn't know, Socialbakers is a leading social media analytics platform that allows brands to measure, compare and contrast the success of their activities on social media (namely, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+).

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 11th September, 2013 at  Insiders, 1/F, Kam Chung Building, 17 Fenwick Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to meet driven internet entrepreneurs and digital media folk.

Come and learn from a genuine global social media guru!

August 27, 2013

Podcast: Chinese Wikipedia

If you missed the last Web Wednesday social mixer (V73), you can listen to the interview below, hosted on our podcast channel on SoundCloud.

[A special thanks to our sound master, Charlie Toller, Founder of BrandBeat Asia].

August 25, 2013

App Annie at Web Wednesday (V74)

Calling all budding app entrepreneurs and mobile analysts!

In a world increasingly challenged by apps and big data, come learn about how App Annie is pioneering app store analytics for a new generation of mobile entrepreneurs and technology investors.


Oliver Lo, App Annie's Vice President of Marketing (employee #4), will share the story of building a global startup from Beijing and San Francisco, tell us why East Asia is dominating the global app economy and provide some valuable tips for marketers, developers,  publishers and investors.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 4th September, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink and the opportunity to meet driven internet entrepreneurs and digital media folk.

Sign up on Facebook or MeetUp.

Go forth and amplify App Annie at Web Wednesday!

AppAnnie is making sure that the can be discovered on social media. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+ and Weibo.

Here's a short teaser video about their service:



And an interesting deck on the "mobile app economy":



TechinAsia also wrote an article about their start-up roots in Beijing.
I want to find out who "Annie" is modelled on.

Talking Social Media to Women Entrepreneurs in Hong Kong

One recent Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of introducing the social media landscape in Hong Kong (and a bit of China) to a room of 100+ women entrepreneurs.

The full-day workshop was organised by The Entrepreneurs Club of Hong Kong (Website, Facebook, Twitter and Google+) and Women Entrepreneurs Online (Website, Facebook and Google+), an initiative backed by Google.

As the feedback was extremely positive, I've uploaded my presentation to Slideshare, added the podcast recording on SoundCloud and embedded the whole shabang below. Enjoy and do give me your feedback.



Alternatively, you can listen to the talk on our podcast channel on SoundCloud below:


August 13, 2013

Tofu and Violence - Art meets Crowd-Funded Goodness

Hong Kong artist, poet and curator, Claire Lee, will join us Wikipedia at Web Wednesday (V73) on 21st August at Bisous to tell us about her new book, "Tofu & Violence".


She is seeking funds via the Hong Kong based crowd-funding site, FringeBacker, to publish the book and run an exhibition of the artists works. All proceeds of the sales of the book, after publishing costs, will be donated to the Rain Lily (風雨蘭) crisis centre run by the Association Concerning Violence Against Women. (You can find the charity on Facebook).



You can support this good cause and local artists via FringeBacker. For HK$1,800, you get a creative photo of yourself with tofu!



August 9, 2013

Wikipedia at Web Wednesday (V73)

Calling all budding Know-it-alls!

Come learn how Wikipedia became one of the top 10 most-visited sites on the web and shake your smartphones with the local Digerati and internet start-ups for our 73rd Web Wednesday social mixer on 21st August at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham, Street, Central, Hong Kong.

We'll be talking crowd-sourced knowledge with Jeromy-Yu (Jerry) Chan, who donates his time to improve greater human good as the Coordinator-in-chief of Wikimania 2013, Councillor for Wikimedia Hong Kong (on Facebook) and Administrator for Chinese Wikipedia (维基百科).


Wikimedia's mission in Hong Kong is to:
* Promote the use of Wikimedia Projects
* Promote Free culture to the general public in Hong Kong
* Encourage the freedom of artistic and literary creations
* Promote the correct understanding in intellectual properties
* Encourage the exchange and dissemination of academic knowledge



Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 21st August, 2013. The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink, the chance to network with Hong Kong movers and groovers in the internet and digital media space. Come prepared with tough questions to ask the speaker.

Spread the word of Wikipedia at Web Wednesday, using the shortened URL "bit.ly/wwhkv73" and hashtag "#wwhk".


Let us know you're coming via the event invite page on the Web Wednesday Group on Facebook.

Twitter UK - Pride and Prejudice

Recently, in the UK, there has been uproar about the increasingly offensive nature of personal attacks and threats via Twitter. A recent campaigner to have Jane Austen added to the £10 note received sinister death threats.


The BBC picked this up and it was discussed in one of my favourite podcasts, "Digital Planet". Listen to the full podcast here.

Salena Godden (@salenagodden) summarised the whole phenomenon beautifully in this poet:


Pride and Prejudice

This morning I noticed the sky was a baggy story
I reached up to pull at a flappy bit of old argument
It was a tired and clammy cloud
It was wallpaper from an old protest that was never resolved
Merely brushed aside until she pulled her burnt bra on to make the tea

Before long I had peeled it all away in strips
And once that corner of sky was torn
Behind the story and underneath
There was just the opaque roof of a department store elevator
I wanted to pull the slats apart, to climb up into the lift shaft
And cut the ropes and watch twitter world crash.

And off-line and off-grid
We were all fish out of water
Slapped onto the cold pavement

And we stopped compulsive likelikelike button pushing
Opened the curtains to daylight to celebrate our differences and our sameness
And seeing the barriers all shattered we were forced to go outside
And walk and work side by side

We won’t remember the trolls
Or the troll slayers
But the bully goat bridge that we built to shelter them

I don’t recall the names of playground bullies
But the classmates that took detention by my side
And with a sinking feeling now I remember the girls
That fingered their blonde plaits and stood by and watched

We are plugged into a distraction
Logged into fiction
Counting sheep and followers
When our dreams are so much more,
More than we ever gave them credit for

We are sleep-walking sleep-talking retweeting parrots
We keep poking and fiddling with the knobs
Like it’s the only way to sound check our speakers

And back in twitterworld we still argue:

Because a woman cannot choose to be silent if she had no voice
Because the invisible women that have no votes have no choice
Because silence is gold but it’s kept in a bank
Because there are so many inspiring women to thank and to rank
Because it isn’t just 140 characters, its your motive and intent
Because twitter is real life and you tweet, threatened and sent

“One word from you shall silence me forever”
That’s Jane Austen
And there's two words
‘Pride and Prejudice’

June 26, 2013

WeLend at Web Wednesday (V72)

Join us for our 72nd Web Wednesday Social Mixer where we will be interviewing Simon Loong, CEO of Welab, an ambitious start-up looking to "democratise finance". Their first service is "WeLend", Hong Kong's first social lending (or "peer-to-peer" lending) platform.

Their lofty goal is to "help people fulfil their dreams". Or in Chinese, "每人都有夢想,不論是學習新的技能、遊歷世界、或開創生意。要夢想成真?我們助你踏出夢想第一步" which translates to "Everyone has dreams, whether it's to learn a new skill, travel the world or start a new business. If you want your dream to come true, we can help you take a step closer to realising it".

WeLend sees itself as "a new community for borrowers and lenders to connect through a secure, efficient and professional online platform. Borrowers benefit from more convenient access to capital at lower interest rates whilst lenders enjoy higher interest rates than conventional bank rates".

But my favourite and most poignant part of their self-description is, "In our increasingly unequal and isolated community, we believe our business model will create great social benefits. We do this by connecting individuals from all levels of the market to create wealth and by introducing both a social and an altruistic element into the world of personal finance."

Chase the dream on their Facebook Page - Facebook.com/yourdreams.


After 15 years in banking, with his last post as Regional Head of Northeast Asia at Standard Chartered Bank, Simon is now applying his expertise to bring individual lenders and borrowers together via the internet. He has recruited a team of experts from leading international companies, including Amazon, Oracle, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, HSBC, Bank of Montreal and Hutchison Telecom.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the interview starting at 7:15pm on Wednesday 3rd July, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong. The entrance fee of HK$100 includes a complimentary drink, the chance to network with Hong Kong top's digerati and hear an ambitious start-up share it's dreams. Come prepared with questions to ask the brave founders of WeLend.

Let us know you're coming via the event invite page on the Web Wednesday Group on Facebook.

Winners of Battle of the Apps IV

Thank you to the brave entr-app-preneurs who took to the stage at Battle of the Apps IV on 19th June, 2013. There was a wide range of apps looking to tap into our desire to find good food, network more efficiently, educate our  children and simplify the way we pay for things. Read about the eleven contestants here.

My creative team at Inspire Digital Asia designed this great backdrop to set the tone of the evening, a subtle reference to the highly popular HBO show, Game of Thrones.


Each app start-ups had five minutes to present, followed by two minutes of questions. we then opened the vote to our discerning audience of 100 judges who placed their chips or, be more precise, smiley face stickers on their favourite app.



The Bronze Award went to GOnnect: a better way to find, make and keep connections. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@gonnect) and Facebook.


The Silver Award went to ZNAP, by MPayMe: a new way to simplify payments. Download from iTunesGoogle Play or BlackBerry App World. Follow on Facebook and watch on YouTube.


And, the Gold Award went to... Little Rewards: an incentive programme for reluctant children that teaches goal setting and the value of rewards, including money. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@littlerewards) and Facebook.


Congratulations to the three winners! We hope that the rest of the contestants enjoyed the battle, made some good contacts and that Web Wednesday has helped nudge awareness of your creations up a notch or two. Now go make some money!

Thank you again to our generous prize sponsors, the Internet Society of Hong Kong - World Developer Summit 2013, Amazon Web Services, Amaze Mobile Media (member of the Gravitas Group) and BlackBerry Hong Kong.

June 19, 2013

11 Contestants for Battle of the Apps IV

Eleven gutsy app enterpreneurs ("entr-app-reneurs") will be competing in our 4th Battle of the Apps Contest, held on Wednesday 19th June, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong.

We list them below in order of submission to the contest and provide links to their websites, apps and social media presences. Do try them out and let us know what you think.

Yoketown: a social city guide with quality content. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@yoke_town) or Facebook.

Little Rewards: an incentive programme for reluctant children that teaches goal setting and the value of rewards, including money. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@littlerewards) and Facebook.

ZNAP, by MPayMe: a new way to simplify payments. Download from iTunes, Google Play or BlackBerry App World. Follow on Facebook and watch on YouTube.

Search for Amazon, by S4BB: search for and set push notifications about sales on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Download from BlackBerry App Store. Follow S4BB on Twitter (@s4bb) and Facebook.

ConnectU Map: a social map to end shyness. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@gteconnectu) and Facebook. Catch those special moments on YouTube.

Oz Tales, by FamLoop: a highly interactive story for kids (and parents). Follow FamLoop on Twitter (@famloop), Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus and watch their video demos on YouTube.

HotelQuickly: last minute hotel bookings with deals in the Asia Pacific. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@hotelquickly), Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr.

Pingspot: a fast and easy way to share recommendations of great local businesses, and discover places from people you trust. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@pingspot) and Facebook.

Provesor, from FETC (香港財智科技): brings investment algorithms to the public. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@ericdiwu), Facebook, Sina Weibo and LinkedIn. (Note the different use of channels).

LanguageX, by Global Citizen: a way to find people anywhere at anytime for language exchange. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@globalcitizenco) and Facebook.

GOnnect: a better way to find, make and keep connections. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@gonnect) and Facebook.

We also have prizes from our generous sponsors, Amazon Web Services, Amaze Mobile Media (a member of the Gravitas Group), BlackBerry Hong Kong and the Internet Society of Hong Kong.

Game on!

June 10, 2013

Battle of the Apps IV

Calling all entr-app-reneurs!

Due to the popularity of our past three contests, we are running our 4th "Battle of the Apps" on 19th June, 2013. The competition is open to application creators, developers and publishers who participate in a live contest in the heart of Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong party area. All apps welcome, be it on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome, Symbian or any other operating system (TV, tablet or smartphone).


Networking will start at 6:30pm, with the battle from 7:00pm sharp on 19th June 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

Submit your app via the form below, join the event on Facebook and spread the word on social media using the shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps4".

Curious to learn more? Read about Battle of the Apps I, Battle of the Apps II, Battle of the Apps III and the winners of BoA III. The gold winner, Coach's Clipboard produced by JL Plus, went on to win the Best Asian Smartphone App Contest and has been accepted into Nike+ Accelerator programme.

RULES OF THE BATTLE
Each contestant will have 5 minutes to show off their creation and will have 2 minutes for questions from the floor. Due to time limitations, there will be a maximum of 10 contestants with prizes for the winners.

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote with their feet fingers (good, old fashioned, analogue stickers!). The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at an upcoming Web Wednesday with all the associated promotional benefits.

If you're a contestant, sign up to join the fray below. Otherwise, do help me spread the word - using "#battleofapps" and shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps4" so that we can attract a wide range of contestants.


Fill out my online form.



May 13, 2013

Digital Music Matters 2013

For the Web Wednesday social mixer on 15th May, 2013, Digital Music Matters has generously donated a complimentary event pass (normally costs US$1,250) as a lucky draw prize!

To enter, drop your namecard at our next social mixer in Bisous on 15th May 2013 and you could be the lucky winner attending this award-winning event, making connections with 350 companies and gaining valuable insights from a stellar cast of speakers, artists and online stars during one whole week of conferences, workshops, mentoring and networking.

Also, as a valued member of Web Wednesday, you can enjoy discounted prices for a Digital Music Matters full delegate pass at US$1,000 and conference only pass at US$450. Registration is easy, simply click here or email Charmian. Please mention "Web Wednesday" in order to get the discount.

Dubbed "TED meets SXSW" by superstar Jason Mraz, Digital Music Matters 2013 returns on 20 to 24 May 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore with an outstanding roster of partners, sponsors and speakers on board this year.

Upping the ante this year, Digital Music Matters 2013 introduces the brand-new YouTube FanFest as well as Music Matters Live (both supported by HP).





With 20 YouTube stars and over 50 bands from 20 countries performing over 160 shows, the week-long event brings together thousands of industry leaders, delegates, artists and fans for 3 days of engaging conferences across 5 days of immersive entertainment.

A compelling mix of conferences, workshops, mentoring and networking, Digital Music Matters is the only event in Asia Pacific that brings the entire entertainment ecosystem under one roof. See the full programme here.

May 8, 2013

Podcast: Rebecca Fannin - Silicon Dragon and Startup Asia

Listen to the last Web Wednesday interview (17th April, 2013) with Rebecca A. Fannin, author of Silicon Dragon and Startup Asia. (Special thanks to Charlie Toller of BrandBeat Asia for the expert sound production).



For a full list of our past interviews, visit the Web Wednesday channel on SoundCloud.

May 6, 2013

Qunar - Online China Travel Boom

We're very excited to have Fritz Demopoulos, serial China internet entrepreneur and angel investor at Queen's Road Capital, speak at Web Wednesday on 15th May, 2013.

Fritz is the founder of two successful Chinese Internet companies, Shawei.com (sold to Tom.com for US$20M in 2000) and Qunar.com (sold 60% stake to Baidu for US$306M in 2011), and is now aiming to capture the next big opportunity in China's Internet evolution by deploying his own capital.

We kick off at  6:30pm with the talk at 7pm at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong.

Sign up via Facebook.

Given the recent investments of Alibaba in Sina Weibo and Baidu in Qunar, this promises to be a truly inspiring talk. Mark your diaries.

Here's a recent interview on China Money Podcast, where Fritz discusses his investment strategy.

April 10, 2013

Why China Will Win the Tech Race

Whilst researching for her books, Silicon Dragon and Startup Asia, Rebecca Fannin (our speaker for 17th April) interviewed several Asian tech entrepreneurs, from Joe Chen of RenRen to Gary Wang of Tudou. She has posted many of these interviews to her YouTube Channel and you can watch her favourites below.


April 9, 2013

Silicon Dragon and Startup Asia

For our 69th Social Mixer on Wednesday 17th April, we have the pleasure of inviting Rebecca Fannin, the Founder and Editor of Silicon Dragon Ventures, to share her findings on technology innovators in Asia. You can find her on LinkedIn, Twitter (@rfannin or @silicondragon) and watch her talks and interviews on YouTube.


Doors open from 6:30pm at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street and we will start the interview at 7:15pm. The entrance fee of HK$100 includes one complimentary drink, high-quality networking and the chance to learn from a well-connected and highly-informed global thought leader.

Sign up on Facebook.

Rebecca is the former international editor of Red Herring and is a regular contributor to Forbes (read her 10 Asian tech predictions here). Having interviewed many leading lights in the Asian tech space, she has also published two books on the subject, Silicon Dragon (2008) and Startup Asia (Oct. 2011). You can buy the Chinese version of Silicon Dragon ((硅谷龙:中国如何打赢高技术竞赛) on Dang Dang. Kai-Fu Lee wrote the foreword to Startup Asia and the book was just published in Chinese by CITIC Press. (Couldn't find the link).


Here are two highly complimentary critiques of her books:

"From tech parks in India to half-constructed offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Startup Asia is a splendidly woven narrative of leading entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who are shaping the future that is being invented in Asia and envied around the globe.” Tony Nash, Global Director, Custom Research, Economist Intelligence Unit.

“Rebecca Fannin, who caught the early waves of the Chinese Internet boom with her book Silicon Dragon, shows why we now need to be paying attention to VIC (Vietnam, India and China) in her forward-looking book Startup Asia. With diligent on-the-ground reporting and hard-won access, Fannin follows the money — the smart money of VCs who made money on both the U.S. and China Internet booms — to see where we should be placing our next bets in the world of technology.” Gady Epstein, Correspondent, The Economist.

Rebecca has generously offered three complimentary tickets to her Silicon Dragon Hong Kong 2013 Event on 18th April in Cyberport at which I will interview Vicky Wu, Co-Founder of Zaozao. Other illustrious speakers include former Web Wednesday guests, Yat Siu, Founder of Outblaze, and Anthony Zameczkowski, Head of Music, YouTube Asia Pacific.