As previously referenced, Paul was also on a panel. The discussion centered around the whole concept (that I think we are ALL a bit tired of hearing) of Web 2.0 and what is "next".  It's quite a broad topic and means a lot of things to a lot of different people... some of the more interesting topics of discussion:

Buzzwords: Currently there seems to be a huge hang up on buzz words... clients want a blog, a facebook page, a myspace page, a viral video - "I want to be the next 'elf-yourself'. There are a lot of very useful and fantastically popular sites and applications that have been created as answers to real strategic questions and needs (facebook connects us to all our friends but lets us control our information, Digg allows us to share information easier and more efficiently) but do our clients really need a blog, facebook app or myspace page? For some of them the answer may be 'yes' but for most, the solution ends up being significantly different than the  initial request with the simple questions "why do you think you need that" and "what are you really trying to accomplish"? So in this new "web 2.0" (or whatever you want to call it) era it becomes even more important for us to educate our clients and work with them to navigate through all their new options.

Shifting Priorities: One interesting point made by an audience member was that he felt that most of the highly successful sites right now are what would be considered "low design".  They focus around delivering content and data vs. a highly designed experience (digg, facebook, etc...). He then wondered if this had to do with a shifting audience and is flashy design becoming less and less important as people use the internet in a more every-day-buy-my-groceries kind of way.  I think it's interesting to think about this idea.  We all joke about flaming and/or spinning logos and gratuitously designed sites and I do to think there is something to this idea - although I do not think design is un-important.  I think the answer to this question is that the design has become more strategic and NOT less important.  It's ignorant to think that the designs of these sites that deliver content and data was flippantly done - They are perfectly designed to not get in the way of their intended function and that is not an easy task.  It also made me realize there should be more designers/creative (oh, and women) at this conference.

Adaptive Personalization:  Per device and per context the experience is going have to adapt based on implicit information... culture, location, language, time of day, season, etc ... Sites/content will need to respond accordingly and we will have to develop experiences that will be relevant across all channels - if I'm at home, at work, involved in your clients sales process.  How do we do this? Do we sign onto the internet with our persistent profile? Do we design per device or per site? Do I still have to have 50 different usernames and 50 different passwords? No idea at this point but the discussion is interesting none the less. 

-Nicole