Knowledge sharing for digital decision makers
Conference, 3-5 May 2011

David Bowen

Senior consultant, Bowen Craggs

Biography

David Bowen

David Bowen is senior consultant for Bowen Craggs & Co. He founded the London-based publishing and consultancy company Net Profit in 1996, and his present company in 2002.

He was industrial editor of the Independent on Sunday for seven years, as well as energy and business features editor of The Independent. Named two times as national newspaper industrial journalist of the year, Bowen has written a twice-monthly column on websites in the Financial Times since 1998 (now on ft.com).

In 2004 he was included among the 100 most influential Britons in the Internet’s first decade. He has been following the online world since 1993, when he wrote a book called ‘Multimedia – Now and down the line’, which accurately predicted many developments. It contained the word ‘internet’ only once, however.

Bowen Craggs

The web estate is frequently the largest item in a communications or marketing budget, yet it is notoriously difficult to measure or ensure its effectiveness. Bowen Craggs offers its unique web effectiveness services to organisations with medium to large web estates, specialising in corporate and public sector sites where there is no clear measurability. Bowen Craggs provides a unique service to website owners by acting as an expert and independent adviser complementing in-house and other third party resources. Neither building websites nor selling software, the rationale behind this is to provide fully independent advice. The Bowen Craggs client list includes 50 of the world’s largest organisations, including 20 from the Financial Times Bowen Craggs Index of corporate website effectiveness. Bowen Craggs also manages a global "Web Effectiveness Network" of more than 300 online professionals from 26 countries who share best practice on operational and strategic issues.

Presentation

The Bowen Craggs / FT Index of corporate website effectiveness 2011

Track: Online corporate communication
Conference Day #2, Thursday May 5th, 10.15 am - 11.00 am

Insights into what makes an effective global corporate website, drawing on the 2011 FT Bowen Craggs Index of corporate website effectiveness.

What makes a top-class corporate web presence?

How to use the Index tables to improve your website.

Current trends and passing fads.

See slides online

Roundtable discussion

Online Reputation Management

Conference Day #2, Thursday May 5th, 2.00 pm - 3.00 pm

The internet is becoming the reputation management tool. Pressure groups use it increasingly to launch attacks on corporations, and companies have been learning how to respond. The web was hard to deal with; social media is much tougher. At the same time, corporations have realised that if there is a real disaster, the world will look to its online presence to see their response.

David has been following both attacks,  defence and unfolding crises on the internet for several year, and will share real examples to show what the risks are, how they are increasing, and what can be done to manage them.

Expert panel discussion

Conference Day #1, Wednesday May 4th, 1.00 pm - 1.45 pm

Philadelphia 11 conference news: Corporate Websites – what makes them effective?