CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Some of the region’s sharpest Internet minds converged at the Friday Center last Wednesday to actively network and unlock some of the secrets of performing profitable business on the Internet.

The inaugural Internet Summit hosted by TechJournal South covered all aspects of living and working in a connected world. The economy, innovation, business intelligence, forward thinking and the importance of leadership were among the underpinning themes.

Even in a volatile economy, more than 600 business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and marketers still see dollar signs and opportunity with new and evolving Internet trends, Web 2.0 technologies, and how industry as a whole can capitalize on shifting economic dynamics.

While many panel discussions noted how the economy continues to have an adverse affect on business, most remained optimistic that the Internet will remain profitable and continue to grow.

“In times like this, how do you re-motivate yourself,” pondered Bob Young, CEO and founder of Lulu.com, and former leader of open source pioneer, Red Hat. “If it’s not about growth, what is it in this economy? It’s really about execution.

“That’s what recessions are for … If you think of it from a society sense; it’s an opportunity for us to spend less time building mansions and more time on building, well-engineered products.”

The internet economy continues to grow and evolve with new business models, innovative ideas and new technologies. The Internet Summit spotlighted the spirit of prosperity in these areas.

“I’ve decided to come here today and meet some new people, share some ideas, see what everyone is doing and possibly find some new partnerships,” said Don Kozak, CTO, Lycos, who traveled from Boston, Mass., to be a panelist in the social networks and communities’ portion of the event. “This has been a great event and very informative.”

The event agenda was designed to cover all aspects of the Internet. Two rooms had consecutive topics going on throughout the day as attendees cherry picked from the most interesting discussions.
 
Subjects included blogging and new media, Software-as-a-Service, the Internet venture outlook, ecommerce ROI, marketing in a 2.0 world, Internet law, Internet entrepreneurship, social networks and communities, next-generation email marketing, best practices for the modern infrastructure, the present and future of Internet search, and mobilizing the Internet.

Each discussion provided insight into what’s happening now and what may happen later.

Presented by TechJournal South, Southern Capitol Ventures and Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), the Internet Summit supports Web oriented entrepreneurial activity, innovation, and the resultant economic development of the southeast region.

With a sell-out in its first year, sources tell LTW that plans are in the works to put it on again next year.